Serendipity
by CardyDesu
Summary: Lilac eyes and wistful sighs. It all leads back to you. Hero Class 2-A student becomes a teacher assistant for Hero Class 1-A. "I'm sorry, but can you choose someone else? A-ahah;;;" Cover art by me; character sheets in profile.
1. Introducing: Sasaki Ayame!

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Spring; the start of a new school year.

The sound of laughter and chatter reached her ears as teenagers exited U.A. High School. Long, brown locks blew in the wind as lilac eyes closed itself from the world. She clutched onto the nekomata in her arms; light, weightless, and imaginary.

It was the end of the first day and yet for Ayame, she wished it was the end of the year already.

* * *

Sasaki Ayame was not the type to dwell in her frustrations. She walked with her head held high and a smile on her face. Others assumed she was childish with the way she laughs at the most inane things. Her teachers had high expectations of her because of who she was related to. Ayame never cared much about them—she moved at her own pace.

And currently, she was running through the hallway of the first year's building. Her light brown hair was pulled back into braids and bun, fringes flying around her face from the movement as she turned the corner. The plate outside the classroom read '1-A' and that was all the confirmation she needed to reach out and slam the door open, shouting—

"Oji-san!"

Lilac eyes blinked slowly at the empty classroom, not a single person in sight as her hand fell from the door. Ayame walked in, nostalgia washing over her as she studied the clock hanging on the wall.

"Ah, am I early?" She asked no one in particular, noticing the time was twenty minutes before class begins.

With careful strides and a small smile, Ayame walked around the empty classroom. Her fingers traced over the metal surface of the desks yet she had a destination in mind, focusing on the last desk in the third row.

It had been one year already since she attended U.A. High School. Her first year as a student felt like a blur—everything had already came and gone by and now in her second year, Ayame was ready for more of the serious Hero training. Still, she cannot help but feel nostalgic as she reached the last desk, taking a seat on the chair she had used for one year before advancing.

 _Seat 15._

Ayame hummed, resting her head over the metal top and closed her eyes. Fatigue had weighed heavy on her since morning. She had woken up especially early to play with her hair, pulling the long locks into braids and looping them on her head into a neat bun. It was an effort Ayame never cared about until yesterday—not until the words of the teacher acknowledging her introduction.

" _Sasaki Ayame…younger sister of Sasaki Yume, correct? She was a brilliant student here. I hope you can match up with your sister."_

Ayame had laughed then, answering with a rehearsed 'I'll try my best' before the teacher continued with attendance. Throughout the whole day, similar comments were made her way—from the most prestigious achievements her sister had accomplished during her time in U.A. to how similar Ayame looked with her long hair to the Hero 'LullaCry'.

It should not come as a surprise to her. Ayame was used to being compared to her renowned sister. In fact, Ayame was proud of Yume because she was the best older sister anyone can ask for. It was the whispering behind her back—the thoughtless comments from the older generation—did Ayame feel the familiar spike of pain within her chest at her own shortcoming.

She knew she was not as smart as her sister. She knew her Quirk was nothing like her sisters'. Ayame knew she was not as gentle or kind or—anything wholeheartedly _good_ as Yume. And Ayame doesn't hate her sister for it—because it was not Yume's fault for her own self-deprecation.

Yume was who Ayame strived to be and yet…why does she always seem to fall short?

It may have been a little childish on her part to style her hair completely. Even though Ayame knew the criticisms were to happen, she still tried whatever she can to stop the critiques. It does not happen often—she knew how to block them out—but sometimes, Ayame wished others would stop comparing her to Yume and see her for who she really is.

"Excuse me."

Her eyes opened, lost in her musing and memories of yesterday to not realize someone had came into the classroom.

"You're in my seat."

Ayame jolted upwards from the desk, lilac eyes meeting heterochromia ones of grey and blue. She blinked at the boy in front of her, eyes drifting up to stare at the white and red hair split perfectly down in the middle. If she wasn't so distracted in the moment, Ayame would have made a comment on his unusual features but—she had seen weirder Quirks.

"Sorry!" She bolted up, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I got lost in the moment. I'm here to look for Aizawa-sensei!"

Todoroki studied her quietly. She was not in the classroom during the first day yesterday and based on everyone's introduction, she should not be a student in Class 1-A. It made no sense to him for this girl to be here—and was in his seat no less.

"He should be in the teacher's lounge," Todoroki replied nonchalantly; it was the most obvious place for him to be at.

Ayame gasped, nearly slapping her head in the process for skipping over the simple fact. _Of course!_ She mentally yelled at herself, _Shouta-oji is never early!_

"My mistake," Ayame laughed nervously. Her eyes glanced at the clock again, noting that five minutes had gone by since she first appeared and smiled at the boy. "I'll be on my way now! Thanks—um?"

"…Todoroki Shoto."

"Todoroki-kun, eh? I'm Sasaki Ayame! I'll see you around!"

He watched as she ran out the classroom, giving him one last wave before disappearing around the corner. Todoroki eyed the light shade of her brown hair and thoughtlessly wondered where he had seen that before.

* * *

"Oji-san!" Ayame called out again, pulling the door back from the teacher's lounge to reveal the bundle of yellow. Her eyes zeroed in on her uncle and rushed in, eyes wide and watery as she kneeled down to his sleeping form. "You never told me All Might was going to teach here!"

"You're too loud," Aizawa groaned from his sleeping bag, forcing himself upwards to stare at the girl in annoyance, "And it's 'sensei' to you."

"But no one is here," Ayame smiled innocently, grinning even more when the older man was forced to sit up. "Anyways—can you get me an autograph from him?"

"Ask him yourself."

"I can't!" Ayame whined, "They said he is going to teach the first years exclusively! How is that even fair—I should have been held back a grade if I knew that was to happen—ow!"

Ayame flinched from the flick on her forehead, rubbing the tender spot with a pout at her uncle. The elder man did not even crack a smile at her antics.

"Don't say that. Your mother would send me into a coma she knew you were failing," Aizawa sighed again, thinking back to his older sister and her personality.

Aizawa Shiko, now as 'Sasaki Shiko', was always brazen and rowdy in her younger years, often dragging Shouta along her schemes of heroism when seen fit. As she aged and settled down with a family, her rash personality had turned refined but—Shouta knew firsthand what it would be like to incur her wrath.

Sometimes, he sees his older sister in Ayame.

Ayame grinned again, not put off by her uncle's personality and shoved a notebook towards him. "Here! This is my Hero's signature collection! Please, please, _please_ have All Might sign it. I promise I'll be good this year!"

She bowed her head and offered the purple notebook to him in a prayer. Truthfully, she knew Aizawa would not deny her request. Her uncle always did have a soft spot for her and her sisters. Ayame figured Aizawa wanted to keep their family bonds as a secret and she thought it would be the most fitting plan. There was no prize in playing favorites with the teachers—she was here to become a Hero by her own skills.

"You should strive to be good every year," he deadpanned but took the notebook regardless, stuffing it somewhere within his sleeping bag and turned around. "Now go away, I still have ten more minutes before the bell rings."

"Yes, yes~" Ayame sung, happy to have her request be taken and stood up. "I'll see you later, _sensei_!"

Right before Ayame closed the door, she heard his quiet reply.

"Don't be late for your introduction later."

* * *

Ayame reached her classroom with time to spare, entering the room marked '2-A' simply with a smile. Fellow classmates greeted her as she entered and she returned them with a wave. She took her usual spot in seat 15, turning to the side to greet her shy friend.

"Morning, Hotaru-chan!"

Bright gold eyes returned her gaze; a small smile gracing her lips as Hotaru quietly returned the greeting.

"Morning, Ayame-chan." Hotaru brushed back her black hair from her eyes, blinking at the sudden change in hairstyle from her friend and tilted her head. "You cut your hair?"

Ayame brought one hand up to her braids, smiling and shaking her head. "No…just wanted to test out some new hairstyles. Does it look weird?" Her face scrunched up, nose wrinkling in displeasure at that thought.

"N-no! I-I didn't mean that!" Hotaru waved her hands quickly, cheeks tinting red and the freckles on her cheeks began to glow, "Y-you look different—that's all! S-still cute, of course!"

Ayame let out a bright laugh, finding her friend's fumbling to be adorable. Hotaru's tendency to ramble and stutter when nervous was a cute trait; Ayame knew her friend meant no harm to the simple comment.

"Thanks, Hotaru-chan~ 'Different' was what I aimed for."

Hotaru blinked again, glancing at the braided hair then to the distant look in Ayame's eyes. Being friends for over a year now had given Hotaru a chance to learn about Ayame better—and she knew of the girl's insecurities to being compared to her sister. Though Ayame would never admit it out loud, Hotaru wondered if this change in hairstyle was relating to it.

"Alright, settle down everyone."

Soharu Ume walked in at that time, long dark tresses pulled back into a bun on top of her head and vibrant plum eyes regarded the class sternly.

"It's the second day only and you guys are so hyper."

"Because we can finally begin even more serious Hero training! What will we be doing today, Soharu-sensei?"

She merely smiled, raising a file of folder and sat in her chair.

"Electing class representatives. Get to it~"

Ayame watched as the class erupted loudly, hands shooting upwards to volunteer for the spot. She glanced away, ignoring the rest of them by staring at the falling leaves from the window. Being class representative was not something she cared to fight for—not when Ayame had seen firsthand of the stress it led to by her sister.

* * *

Lunchtime came relatively fast after the class elected the representatives. Soon after, normal lessons were taught (much to the classes' disappointment) and when the bell rang for lunch, Ayame bolted from her spot.

It was not long before she was sitting with a tray of warm food, smiling in happiness at the udon in front of her and in a blink, Hotaru appeared. Her glowing freckles dimmed slowly, an aftereffect of using her Quirk.

The two girls talked amongst themselves, catching up with each other during the break time from school before the conversation led to the election earlier. Ayame resisted the urge to flinch from the sudden memory as words floated in her mind once more.

" _You know, Yume was class president all three years of high school. Why don't you try it too, Ayame?"_

Ayame smiled, swallowing her noodles before answering Hotaru's question.

"I'm not interested in becoming class president," she shrugged, "I figured they might have chosen the same person as last year, anyways."

"Yeah…Takarada-kun was elected as president again," Hotaru answered.

It did not come as a surprise to either of them. Takarada Noeru came from a prestigious family with a powerful Quirk. His drive to become the best was renown throughout the whole second year—yet his personality was cold enough to keep others away. But—he was dependable, something everyone in Class 2-A begrudgingly agreed upon.

Though, Ayame preferred to steer the topic away from their capable class representative. Takarada and Ayame never did get along.

Ayame tilted her chopsticks in her friend's direction. "Why didn't _you_ volunteer, Hotaru-chan? You're smart enough for the role."

Her freckles glowed again, bright yellow filling her cheeks as Hotaru nearly choked on her food. Ayame forced back a laugh, silently apologizing for always teasing the girl.

"I-I c-cannot! I-I don't w-want to b-be the center of a-attention—a-and the o-others are r-responsible! I-I d-don't—"

A large alarm sound through the building, cutting Hotaru's words and causing the girls to startle.

" _There has been a Level Three security breach. All students please evacuate outdoors promptly."_

The robotic voice said through the intercom, erupting shouts of chaos and panic around them as they looked around. The second years had already been informed of the security levels and precautions in the event of a disaster—but U.A. had always been safe with their protocols and security. There had never been a breach during Yume's time in high school and Ayame quickly snapped her head towards Hotaru.

"Hotaru-chan—you can get outside the fastest. You should go see what the cause for the alarm is."

"B-but what about you? Will you be okay?"

Ayame grinned. "Don't worry! I'll get out along with the rest of them!"

Hotaru nodded her head and in a blink, she was gone. Ayame stood up from her seat, trying to avoid the mass of people making the same way to the exit.

 _They said to stay calm in these situations—what is with all this pushing?_ Ayame grimaced as someone shoved her against another, piles of bodies trying to make their way to the exit. There was enough confusion and shouting to disturb her own thoughts but Ayame was pleased Hotaru did not need to go through this panic. The poor girl was already anxious enough—she does not need dozens of people pushing up against her.

"Stop shoving!" Ayame shouted—only to be ignored again as she was pushed to the side.

Someone was pushing against her back and she could feel herself leaning on someone's back from the amount of pressure. The swarm of people was barely making progress out but with the way everyone was moving, Ayame was carried through the crowd.

"Iida-kun!"

She turned to see a short girl reaching out; her hand connecting with another boy and suddenly—that boy was floating above the crowd. Her eyes widen at the use of their Quirks as he flew through the air but before Ayame can focus on him, she was shoved to the side again.

"Ow!"

Ayame grimaced again as she crashed into another body, looking down slightly to see the same brown haired girl that made the guy float. Wide brown eyes returned the gaze and Ayame put a hand out, shielding the girl to create some space for her.

"Sorry—are you okay?" Ayame apologized before turning her head to the crowd of people again, "You're hurting people here! Calm down!"

And again, no one listened to her shouts as she was pushed to the side. Her frustration was growing by the second, black smoke starting to surround her as she imagined something to take her somewhere faraway.

"I'm okay," Uraraka replied and eyed the black smoke nervously, "But are you?"

"Huh?" Ayame blinked, not realizing that her Quirk was activating subconsciously, "Ah—yeah. I'm just annoyed. There's a better way to get out than this."

The younger girl nodded her head, watching the black smoke starting to die down in curiosity. Another shout echoed the hall, one that Uraraka recognized as Iida slammed above the exit door.

"Everyone, everything's fine!" They turned towards the sound of the voice, watching him cling nervously onto the pipes above. "It is just the media! There is nothing to panic about. Everything's fine!"

The cause for commotion paused as everyone directed to his booming voice. Ayame was finally given time to breathe and think, relaxing her shoulders once she felt no one pushing against her.

"This is U.A.! Let us act in a way befitting the best of the best!"

Slowly, the students calmed down with his words and someone noticed police cars arriving. Ayame let out a sigh of relief, turning towards the brunette with a smile.

"Your friend sure is amazing. I wouldn't have thought that would work."

Uraraka grinned, nodding her head in agreement. "Un! Iida-kun is!"

"Uraraka-san!" Someone ran towards them at that time, a head of moss green hair entered her vision and wide green eyes met their gaze as the boy came towards them. "Are you alright?"

Ayame smiled at the two. "Looks like your friend is here to check up on you! I need to find mine too. See you!"

* * *

Hotaru appeared in a blink after the commotion ended, cheeks red and freckles glowing from being flustered and exhausted. She had been the only one who made it outside safely and some reporters had taken notice of her. The poor girl was almost mobbed by them until she quickly teleported away, returning back to Ayame's side rather than the group of strangers.

Ayame had laughed lightly and told Hotaru about the chaos in the lunchroom, personally relieved that Hotaru did not suffer like her during the confusion. They spent the rest of the lunchtime chatting with each other and once it was time to return back to the classroom, Ayame bid a farewell to Hotaru. There was another destination in mind for the brunette and she made her way towards the first year's building.

Although she remembered the layout by heart already, having gone through the same hallways the year prior, Ayame still felt nervous in opening the classroom to '1-A'. It would be a completely different class with different students. She can only hope she would not make a fool of herself.

With a deep breath, Ayame opened the door right as Midoriya shouted—

"I-I nominate Iida-kun for class representative!"

Ayame blinked at the two students standing in front of the classroom then to the classroom of students staring at her sudden entrance. No one else said anything at her appearance and she felt her mouth drop open at what she walked in. Aizawa looked up at that time, lazy eyes boring into her figure and sighed.

"You're late."

That snapped Ayame out of her trance. Immediately a grin was on her face, trying to contain the nervous laughter bubbling within her stomach at the attention.

"Oops? Sorry, sensei! I hope I wasn't interrupting something important!" Ayame bowed, knowing full well her uncle was reprimanding her within his mind. She looked up again, catching the gaze of the same, green haired boy from lunchtime staring at her. Ayame straightened up and waved, glancing at the rest of the classroom and noticed the two others student she encountered saw lunch.

"Um…Aizawa-sensei? Who is that?" Kirishima raised his hand in question, red eyes boring into hers like the rest of the students.

"Well, introduce yourself." Aizawa merely instructed and Ayame hopped right in, closing the door behind her quietly and took the spot next to Yaoyorozu.

"Hello! I'll be Aizawa-sensei's teacher assistant for the year! Sasaki Ayame from Class 2-A, at your service! Please call me Ayame-senpai~" She bowed politely, smiling widely at the group of students.

Immediately, the class cheered at the new addition to the roster. Ayame can nearly see heart eyes coming from the shortest boy with purple hair yet somehow the feeling was uncomfortable coming from him. Her eyes connected with brown ones, smiling at Uraraka and the younger girl's face lit up momentarily.

"Senpai! What course are you studying?" A pink haired girl, Ashido, asked, nearly bouncing out of her seat in excitement.

Ayame pumped up a fist. "Hero!"

Another chorus of 'ohhhs' rang in the classroom and a boy with spiky blonde hair raised his hand.

"Ayame-senpai! Are you single?!"

She blinked at Kaminari, laughing at the silly question right as the girl next to him, Jirou, hit him over the head with her earphone jack.

"Yup but I don't think you'll have a chance with this~"

Half of the class snickered at Kaminari's agape expression and another boy shot out of his desk—the same one Ayame had an odd feeling about.

"Senpai! What are you three measurements?!"

"M-mineta-kun! That's not appropriate!" Midoriya said nervously as Ayame gawked at the one in question.

"Shut up! You're all so noisy!" Bakugo shouted yet no one paid mind to him.

Aizawa, having enough of the rowdiness, stood up with a stern glare directed to the class.

"Oi, she's not here to entertain you guys." He threw her a file of papers and Ayame caught it clumsily, recovering from her shock at the question. "She's here to make copies for me. Now, go."

He pointed towards the door with his finger, causing Ayame to pout at the stack of work already.

"Yes, yes~" Ayame began to march off, pausing at the door when she remembered the discussion she had interrupted. "Oh! Before I forget, I nominate Iida-kun for class president too!"

The boy in question sat up in surprise, dark eyes wide in shock as Ayame sent a grin his way.

"He displayed great guidance during the lunchroom chaos and was able to calm down all the students easily." She gave him a thumbs up, "Keep it up, Emergency Exit~"

Tears were nearly falling from Iida's eyes at the recommendation from his senior, bowing his head repeatedly as Kirishima and Kaminari agreed. Ayame left before she can hear Midoriya reaffirm her statement, smiling to herself at the new class of people.

Already, she thought her kouhais were cute. They were still young and cheerful with the same excitement and pride she felt to be in the Hero course. Even though Ayame was only one year older—she felt the sense of duty to become a good role model for them.

Giggling to herself, Ayame hopped over to the teacher's lounge where the copy machine would be.

* * *

The second day of school ended on a better note for Ayame than she hoped. She had planned to introduce herself to the class on the first day but Aizawa had rescheduled it to later as the girl adjusted to her schedule.

Being a teacher assistant was a new program U.A. High School had implemented and originally, Ayame did not plan on taking on the role. From what she heard, it was more added work on top of the student's regular workload; balancing between missing one class period (possibly more) and their own schedule. They would be relearning along with the first year of the basic course material—something that was rudimentary and unnecessary for the second years.

If it wasn't for Soharu-sensei's recommendation, Ayame would have passed on the opportunity to someone else. She wondered if she was failing as a hero—that was why she was picked to be the assistant.

" _It would be like a year-long intern experience."_ Ume had explained and Ayame caved, accepting the job with a small sigh at her teacher.

Ayame stretched, leaning back on her chair from studying the small sheets of flashcards on her desk. The clock read 10PM at night and although she had finished all of her homework for the day, she decided to study the students of Class 1-A. She read over their names and tried to memorize their faces, feeling proud of herself to remember at least half of the class.

"Aya-neechan?"

She blinked, turning towards the entrance of her room to see a small figure peek in. Large, violet eyes returned her gaze and Ayame smiled at her younger sister. "Hey kiddo, what's up?"

Sasaki Suzume shuffled in quietly, small arms wrapped around the stuffed black cat. The brunette took notice of the wet tears on her cheeks, eyes softening once she realized the cause for her sister's distress.

"C-can I sleep with you?" Suzume asked shyly, black hair in disarray from her usual pigtails.

Ayame glanced at the student sheets again, deciding she can study that tomorrow morning and nodded her head. She motioned towards her bed as an invitation for Suzume and the child perked up, hopping over to the bed.

"Did you get another nightmare?" Ayame asked quietly, slipping into the covers as soon as Suzume settled.

The younger girl nodded her head, cuddling the cat closer to her body and closed her eyes. Ayame stroked Suzume's wavy hair, wondering what she could do to ease her mind. Suzume's Quirk was a powerful—yet dangerous one. Her ability to see through the people's heart and make their nightmares come to life through the mind was a double-edge sword—for she could also see the same terrors. For a child so young to have this Quirk, their family worried for Suzume's mental state as Suzume was unable to control what she sees.

Since Suzume spent the most time with their mother during the day, it was unfortunate for her to be able to glimpse into their mother's own fears.

"Suzume, look."

Ayame waved her hand and a ghostly black outline appeared. Slowly, the smoke intertwined and weaved together, taking a form of a small cat with two tails as it bounced around the room. Large, violet eyes gazed at the ghostly figure in amazement and a smile finally graced Suzume's lips as the ghostly nekomata danced around to Ayame's will.

The child began to drift off to sleep again, snuggling against the stuffed doll in contentment and a whispered 'thank you' to her sister. Once Suzume was fast asleep, Ayame let her summon disappear and followed her sister to dream world.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 _Nekomata:_ A Japanese cat yokai with two tails

The cover art is drawn by me! I have drawn a character profile sheet for Ayame and Yume on my Tumblr (toomuchpineapples) along with her Hero costume and explanation of her Quirk! Expect a lot of shippy art too~

This story will showcase a lot of different OCs created by me and my friends. Feel free to recommend your own and I may use them in Class 2-A! But, the main focus in the story will still be centered around Ayame and Class 1-A.

Yume is 20 years old, Ayame is 16, and Suzume is 10 years old.

Reviews are much loved! Let me know what you think!


	2. Trouble at USJ

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

The alarm woke Ayame up early in the morning, pushing the 'off' button with one hand quickly to not disturb Suzume. The child stirred but did not wake and Ayame left the comfort of her bed to prepare for school. Quietly, she changed into her uniform in her bathroom, braiding the long strands of hair and looped them into a bun as before. It gave her the illusion of having short hair and as she stared at herself in the mirror, practicing a smile in the reflection, she was pleased with her appearance.

The kitchen was empty when she entered, setting her school bag aside to prepare for some quick breakfast. Ayame knew basic culinary skills, enough to not starve if she was ever left home alone—or if she needed to cook breakfast or dinner. Usually, Yume was the one taking care of the meal preparations but since she had graduated U.A. High School and working as a professional Hero, the time she spent at home was less.

In a way, Ayame did miss her sister. Yume had often helped her with schoolwork when possible and all the notes she saved from U.A. had been passed on to Ayame even if she was not in person to help. With Yume's busy schedule, Ayame had begun to pick up on the chores left by her sister. That usually included cooking breakfast or dinner, waking up Suzume and her mother—

"Yume?"

Ayame turned around, lilac eyes wide at being confused for her sibling before brushing that comment away. She turned off the stove and wiped her hands on the pink apron, heading over to her mother's side.

"No, it's me, okaa-san. Yume-nee came home late last night so she's sleeping in." Ayame helped the woman leaning against the wall, eyebrows furrowed in worry as she stared down at dull, grey eyes. "I was going to come get you after I finished breakfast."

Shiko huffed, shaking her head dismissively, waves of black hair following the movement. "I can manage my way around my own house. I'm not _completely_ blind." Still, the woman allowed Ayame to help her to the kitchen counter, seeing blurs of color in front of her when Ayame moved around and felt a small sense of guilt for confusing her daughters. "How is school, Ayame? You haven't been causing trouble for Shouta-oji, have you?"

Ayame grinned. "Of course not! In fact, I think I'm his favorite student!"

"Oh?" Shiko arched a brow in amusement, "That's not what I heard last night~ You were late to class, weren't you?"

Ayame gasped, deeply offended that the two have been talking about her without her notice. "B-by like _one_ minute! Ji-san is never early." For so long, Ayame could only remember Aizawa showing up to their family events an hour or so later.

"He's late because of his work, you know," Shiko pointed out and Ayame begrudgingly agree. It wasn't until a few years ago did Ayame truly believe her uncle to be having more important affairs than attending the children's _birthday party_. Because Aizawa preferred to stay in the shadows rather than dealing with the press, his accomplishments were often snubbed by society.

"Well, _I_ should head out before _sensei_ decides to tell on my kaa-san again," Ayame untied the apron behind her back, emphasizing on those words specifically in sarcasm as she set a plate of tamago in front of Shiko. "I'll wake up Suzume before I leave."

Shiko looked in the general direction of the grey and brunette blur, a small, sad smile on her lips as Ayame turned the corner. She felt the table for chopsticks, carefully poking around the egg omelette and brought a piece to her lips. It was soft, slightly sweet, and delicious—exactly the way Shiko preferred it.

Ayame entered her own bedroom again right as Suzume slowly opened her eyes. Lilac met violet as the older sister smiled, hopping to the child's direction and ruffled her hair.

"I have to go to school now. Take care of okaa-san, okay?"

Suzume rubbed her eyes and sat up, nodding her head dutifully at the task. " _Itterasshai_ , nee-chan."

Ayame grinned. " _Ittekimasu_!"

She left after bidding goodbye to her mother again, heading over to the train station nearby. Her father had left for work already but he returns home soon enough for dinner. Although their family technically did not need the money, Sasaki Hiroshi enjoyed using his Quirk to bring other's happiness. His ability of a painter combined with his Quirk to bring the paintings come to life was a mystical magic—one that people often pay good money to see for entertainment. From what Ayame knew, it was how their mother fell in love with father. Shiko was in love with Hiroshi's painting.

A sad smile appeared on her lips at that thought. Shiko was not blind in the beginning. Her mother was a powerful hero—one that made a name for herself well before she settled down with a family. Even when Shiko had Yume—she was still working hard to protect the peace within the city and when Ayame came along, Shiko only took one year off to look after her.

But tragedy struck when her mother was two months pregnant with Suzume. Ayame remembered that day clearly. There had been a mass hostage situation at the national bank and villains with unique Quirks were threatening the civilians' life. A battle broke out between the villains and heroes and as it neared the end, reinforcement from the villain's side arrived by the dozens.

At that time, the Pro Hero 'Nightmare' appeared with the Quirk to cease the fighting and villains. In one second, Shiko had forced thirty villains to sleep simultaneously—pushing herself to the limit and caused permanent damage to her eyes. Deemed unable to fight any longer, the government forced 'Nightmare' to retire, provided they compensate her monthly for the years of services she had done.

Ayame remembered the grief her mother had gone through. No amounts of doctors or those with healing Quirks were able to reverse the damage. Her mother had claimed she can still see but whenever she tried to use her Quirk, she would stumble back in pain from the strain. Yume and Ayame felt hopeless and Hiroshi took an indefinite leave from work to take care of his family.

It had been a tough time. Ayame remembered how depressed her mother was and felt hopeless in her ability as a six year old. Yume took on the role as the older sister dutifully and picked up dozen of chores by herself. Yume nearly quit her ballet lessons during that time but Hiroshi and Shiko insisted she did not. Shiko was still headstrong, determined to not let the disability affect her and put on a brave smile for her children. It wasn't until a few years ago did Shiko convinced Hiroshi to return back to work.

 _It's fine now_ , Ayame assured herself, stepping out of the train station and made her way towards U.A. High School, _It's been years. Okaa-san has us to look after her now._

Even when Yume, Ayame, and Hiroshi was gone from the house, little Suzume was there for her mother. Due to her unique Quirk, the family opted to home school Suzume rather than sending her to public schools. When Suzume's Quirk manifested, she had caused fellow children to fall into their nightmares—causing a panic in kindergarten and the days after. Though Shiko was not well-suited to be a teacher, Suzume learned quickly to adapt to their family concern.

 _I have to do better_ , Ayame clutched onto her school bag tighter, _I can't make Suzume worry about us, too._

And in order to improve herself, Ayame will become a hero. She will become strong like Yume, strong like her mother. Shiko never regretted using her Quirk ten years ago and Yume never once complained about the long hours or dangerous fights in the world of heroes. Ayame will grow stronger so she can also save others.

* * *

Class went by like usual in the morning. Ayame took notes dutifully, only understanding half of the things being explained and tried not to fall asleep during lessons. When lunch came around, she left with Hotaru to their usual spot, chatting animatedly about the recent episode of the anime last night when Ayame stumbled into someone.

"Oomph—"

"Watch it."

Crystal eyes glared down at her; taking a step back from Ayame as she looked up in apology.

"Oops, sorry."

Takarada walked away without another word and Ayame resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Their relationship was never the best—though she doubted Takarada's relationship with _anyone_ was great. He only associated with his fellow class representative and never initiated a casual conversation with any classmates. It was like he was looking down upon the students—something Ayame did not value even if he did come from a prestigious family.

"Are you okay, Ayame-chan?" Hotaru spoke up quietly besides her.

"Yeah," she waved it off, "C'mon, I'm hungry!"

They sat down in one of the middle tables, exchanging food they brought from home with a smile and continued with the previous conversation. So engrossed in her conversation, Ayame did not realize others had approached her until Hotaru shrunk into her seat.

"G-good afternoon, s-senpai!"

Ayame blinked, turning to the side to see three students from Class 1-A in front of her. She recognized them as the ones in the lunch commotion yesterday, smiling widely at the two boys and girl.

"Midoriya Izuku, Uraraka Ochako, and Iida Tenya, right?"

The three nodded their head happily and Ayame mentally pat herself in the back for remembering their names. The flashcards she borrowed from Aizawa had proven useful—and it also helped that she encountered them yesterday. Midoriya was the one that greeted her but he looked absolutely red while doing so. Iida set down his plate of food and bowed at the waist immediately, startling Ayame at his charge.

"Sasaki-senpai, thank you for your recommendation! I am the official class representative of 1-A! I would not tarnish the trust you have on me!"

Uraraka attempted to stifle her giggles, looking away from Iida's bowed figure. Ayame laughed lightly, waving her hand in reassurance.

"No need to be so formal, Iida-kun. Call me Ayame!" She smiled, "And I'm sure the rest of the class trusted you too for you to gain the job."

Iida straightened up right as Uraraka bounced forward, smiling widely at her. "You can call me Ochako! I'm glad to see you again—thanks for the help yesterday!"

"No problem, Ochako-chan~" Ayame gestured to the empty chairs around her, "Do you guys want to have a seat?"

"Yes! Thank you!" Ochako chirped, ushering the quiet Midoriya to the seat next to her. "C'mon, Deku-kun, don't be shy!"

The boy immediately heated up at that comment, muttering to himself with words Ayame only caught as 'sitting next to an upperclassman on the first week of school already—Uraraka-san sure is friendly. H-how should I approach senpai—'

Ayame laughed, patting Midoriya on the shoulder lightly. "'Deku-kun', eh? What a cute nickname! Don't worry; this senpai will take care of you!" She raised one fist reassuringly, smiling to the three before gesturing to her quiet friend. "And this is Hotaru-chan! She is your senpai, too."

Hotaru let out a small 'eep' once the attention was drawn to her, waving shyly at the three as Iida took a seat next to her. The five of them chatted amongst themselves, Midoriya and Hotaru growing comfortable by the minute but the other three held majority of the conversation. Ayame thought the new addition to the group was nice.

* * *

Ayame bumped into Ume on her way back to class. She had informed her teacher she will be missing a period because of Aizawa's rescue training with Class 1-A. Already, Ayame was going to miss class because of being an assistant and she was dreading the lessons she will have to catch up on later.

"Show those kids what Class 2-A is like, Sasaki. Rescue training is what we excel it."

Ayame smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, ma'am!"

She went to retrieve her hero uniform. Although Aizawa had said it to be optional, Ayame took whatever opportunity she can to use it. Because she was not an official hero yet, they cannot willingly wear the outfit in public. There were a lot of responsibilities a hero must shoulder; the outfit was a symbol of their duty. Ayame already cannot wait to wear it daily.

The class was waiting by the bus when Ayame arrived. She can still recognize most of the students even when they were in costume and smiled in greeting.

"Senpai!" The blonde playboy waved at her, "You're coming with us too?"

The ones surrounding Kaminari turned to Ayame and she nodded her head, smiling at the rest. "Yup! Can't leave you guys unsupervised!"

"I don't think it's us you need to keep an eye on," Kirishima snickered.

"I'd watch out for the one over there," Kaminari jabbed a thumb in Bakago's direction. The boy in question glared at them at the sound of his name, storming off into the bus.

"Friendly," Ayame noted sarcastically but shrugged it off. Takarada was often just as cold and unsociable so Bakugo's demeanor did not damper Ayame's mood.

"Uwah! What a cute costume!"

Ayame turned to smile at Ashido, curtseying playfully with her red skirt. The starry cape fell over her bare shoulders as she folded her hands behind her back, grinning in appreciation.

"Thanks, Ashido-chan! Yours too!"

Kirishima shook his head. "Girls and their 'cutesy' outfits. What about practicality?"

Ayame huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is practical—to me! It's easy to maneuver in and slip on."

"If it's easy to slip on then it must be easy to slip off—"

A tongue came out of nowhere, slapping Mineta on the cheek as Ayame looked at him in horror. She knew boys were perverted but—never so blatantly to her face. She sent a grateful look towards Asui, reclining her tongue into her mouth as she went over to them.

"Please ignore Mineta-chan. He has no filter. Not all of Class 1-A are so vulgar."

"I-I'm sure he's just the exception…"

A whistle blew through the courtyard as they turned to Iida's direction, exclaiming orders for the students to form two rows to enter the bus efficiently. Ayame caught the eyes of Midoriya and Uraraka off to the side, waving at them in greeting. A little behind them was Todoroki, sitting alone without a care until he was instructed to get on. Their eyes met and Ayame smiled at him before entering the bus.

She sat near the front with Aizawa, turning to her uncle proudly. "I'm not late this time!" Just to prove a point so he does not have to tell on her mother.

"It's only the second day," Aizawa said but Ayame waved it off, relishing in her little victory for the moment.

"Shoot. I didn't think it's this type of bus," Iida sulked behind her and she turned around to study the students sitting on either side of the bus. Sato, Midoriya, Asui, and Kirishima were on one side and Iida, Ashido, Aoyama, and Kaminari were on the other.

"There's no point, eh?" Ashido giggled, alien gold eyes turning towards Ayame in excitement. "Senpai! Will you be participating today, too?"

"Nope," Ayame grinned, "I already passed my rescue training courses. It wouldn't be fair if you all copied off of me and can't resolve the situations yourself!"

"This type of hero work will be a piece of cake!" Kirishima boosted, "I can carry all the injured by myself if I need to!"

"Ehhhh," Ayame hummed in amusement, "It's not all about strength, Kirishima-kun."

The redhead looked stumped at that statement, glancing down at his hands and the hardening ability in contemplation. Midoriya peeked at Ayame shyly, dark green eyes meeting lilac before he hurriedly turned away with a blush.

"U-um, S-sasaki-s-senpai! I-I hope it's not intrusive b-but—what is your Quirk?"

She blinked, staring at the shy boy who could not hold her gaze for longer than two seconds. Ayame hummed again and looked up; realizing nearly half of the students had quieted down to stare at her in curiosity. She nearly grinned again at their interest; they were such cute kouhais.

"That's a secret," she winked. "And call me 'Ayame-senpai'~"

She ignored a few of them groaning and pouting, turning to the wide eyed girl staring at her unblinking.

"Please call me 'Tsuyu-chan'," Tsuyu returned the gesture. "I say whatever comes to mind. So Midoriya-chan…your Quirk is like All Might's."

Ayame blinked at that, leaning further back to observe them. She hasn't got the chance to see their Quirks in action, the flashcards mentioned nothing about it, and Tsuyu's comparison sparked her curiosity in Midoriya.

"Huh?! Y-y-you think so?" Midoriya sweated, laughing nervously as he continued to ramble, "B-but…I-I, um…"

"Wait a sec, Tsuyu-chan, All Might doesn't get hurt when he uses his. They just kind of look the same." Kirishima looked up then, reasoning with the smaller girl with a smile. Ayame nearly cried out in jealousy at how they may have possibly met All Might already where as she was still waiting for Aizawa to return her notebook with a signature. "But it's nice to have a simple augmenting-type Quirk. You can do lots of flashy stuff! My Hardening's strong against others, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like much."

"I think it's really cool!" Midoriya eyes sparkled at the sight of Kirishima's arm, "It's a Quirk that can definitely pass as a pro's!"

"A pro's, huh? But you have to think about popularity as a hero, too, you know," Kirishima said.

Ayame thought back to Yume at that comment, wondering if it can apply to her as well. Yume had inherited their mother's Quirk, able to put opponents to sleep through eye contact in a millisecond. Though she was unable to put multiple people to sleep at once like Shiko had once done, Yume was still a strong Hero by training her body. Even without a 'flashy' Quirk, Yume was famous around Tokyo.

"My Navel Laser is pro-level in both flashiness and strength," Aoyama boosted.

"But it's not great that it gives you a stomachache," Ashido laughed.

Ayame giggled again, watching their interaction fondly. The class must have tested their abilities with each other already, knowing the strengths and weakness of their fellow classmates. She remembered going through the same ordeal last year with her own class—except that time, Aizawa had expelled a few of them before the first day even ended.

She glanced at her uncle, seemingly asleep to the side, and wondered why he did not expel anyone this year. Was Class 1-A really that amazing this year?

"Well, if you're talking about flashy and strong, it's gotta be Todoroki and Bakugo, though, huh?" Kirishima pointed out and they looked at the two in question.

Todoroki remained asleep though Bakugo looked up, crimson eyes glaring at his classmates once before ignoring them to stare back at the window.

"Bakugo-chan's always mad, so he doesn't seem like he'll be popular, though." Tsuyu said and suddenly, Bakugo shot out of his seat.

"What the hell! You wanna fight?!"

Ayame whistled. "That's not a nice face, Bakugo-kun. That's why people assume you're hostile."

"Shut it, shit-pai!"

"See," Tsuyu pointed towards the angry boy as Ayame reeled back at the none-too-friendly nickname she was given.

"B-bakugo-san, that's not appropriate to call our senpai!" Yaoyorozu spoke up.

"We haven't known each other that long, so it's amazing that everyone already knows his personality is crap stepped in sewage," Kaminari insulted smugly.

"What's with that vocabulary, bastard?! I'll kill you!"

Ayame recovered from her shock, realizing that Bakugo was rude to _everyone_. It was worse than Takarada—at least he wouldn't threaten other's livelihood. Yet the students look almost…used to Bakugo's behavior already—except for Midoriya who was clutching his head in distress, muttering to himself once more.

"K-kacchan's being teased…I can't believe what I'm seeing…! That's U.A. for you!"

Slowly, a smirk emerged on Ayame's lips at the little nickname. If Bakugo wouldn't bother calling her respectively, why should she?

"Calm down, _Kacchan_ , you're causing a disturbance to the bus," Ayame looked at him defiantly, tilting her head upwards so he can clearly see the smug smile on her lips. Bakugo looked like he was nearly about to burst, red eyes glaring at the shuddering boy.

" _Fucking_ Deku and his shitty mumbling—"

"Oi, we're here," Aizawa cut him off at that time, standing up from his seat to peer down at his students, "Stop messing around."

"Yes, sir!"

The Space Hero 'Thirteen' was waiting for them by the time they arrived. Ayame had already been introduced to Thirteen before so she was not as awestruck as Midoriya or Uraraka but she could not keep the smile off her face at their excitement.

Aizawa and Ayame trailed behind the group as Thirteen explained the terrain within the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. It was the same as Ayame remembered, glancing around the vast dome, then to the students. They looked just as excited to partake in the rescue simulation and Ayame grinned again.

Aizawa walked forward lazily, looking at Thirteen in contemplation and then to the surrounding. "Thirteen, where's All Might? He was supposed to meet us here."

Her ears perked up at that information, taking a step forward with sparkles in her eyes. "All Might is going to be here?!"

"He taught our class yesterday too. Did you not meet him yet, Sa—Ayame-senpai?" Iida corrected himself immediately and she turned to him with a shake of her head.

"No—he's going to be teaching the first years only," Ayame groaned, shaking her head at the turn of events. "If I had known, I would have brought my notebook! I wanted an autograph!"

"Don't mind! There will be more opportunities!" Ochako reassured, tapping the older girl's shoulder in assurance and Ayame returned the smile.

"He'll meet up with us later. For now, let's begin." Aizawa instructed, motioning Ayame to move out of the way as Thirteen began his explanation.

The Space Hero lost his train of thoughts momentarily as the class waited in anticipation and Ayame took that time to survey the students. They would have to be a dependable and strong bunch if Aizawa did not expel any on the first day. Kirishima had mentioned Bakugo and Todoroki's flashy Quirks—the ones she was the most interested to see in action. However…having flashy Quirks doesn't always amount to resourcefulness during sensitive matters like a rescue mission but… Ayame smiled to herself. If an opportunity arises for her battle against them, she'll take on the challenge with no hesitation.

Thirteen began his speech about the dangers of Quirks. Ayame had heard the same one last year with slight rewording but the message was the same. Their amazing power also comes with great responsibility and should not be used for harm. The students at U.A. were here specifically to become a hero—a protector of justice.

"I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others." Thirteen took a bow, "That is all. Thank you for listening."

The students erupted in applause and cheers, causing a giggle to leave Ayame's lips at their excitement for it reminded herself of last year as well. She also had been one of the many students cheering for Thirteen and strived to improve her Quirk for others.

"All right then, first—"

The lights around the dome flashed, electricity sparking and shattering the light bulbs simultaneously and startled everyone within. Ayame turned towards the center of the dome as the lights dimmed and the fountain sputtered, narrowing her eyes at a strange warp appearing.

"Sensei—" She pointed towards the fountain with wide eyes as a hand popped out of the dark mist—followed by a head?

"Gather together and don't move!" Aizawa shouted, moving in Ayame's direction and lightly shoving her backwards. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

She began to feel a sense of panic within. Her uncle was never the type to take charge like this before and as she continued to stare at the odd warp gate in the middle of the dome, she realized why. Dozens and dozens of villains began to pour out from the shadow; Ayame estimated them to be around fifty already but—there were even more climbing out and she lost count after sixty.

"Those are villains," Aizawa put on his yellow goggles, eyes focused on the figures down below. Ayame looked at Aizawa with wide eyes; dread building up within her stomach at the invasion. "The trespassing the other day was the work of these scumbags after all, huh?"

The trespassing—by the press? Was that all a font for the villains? Ayame had brushed the little details off yet as Aizawa said it out loud—the more plausible it seemed.

"Villains? There's no way they could get into a hero school!" Kirishima voiced the opinion within her mind, all staring at the villains slowly making their way towards them.

"Sensei, what about the trespasser sensors?" Yaoyorozu questioned.

"We have them but…"

"Did they only appear here, or around the whole school?" Todoroki observed, "Either way, if the sensors are not responding, that means they have someone with a Quirk that can do that. An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They might be fools, but they're not dumb. This surprise attack was carefully planned with some sort of goal in mind."

Ayame didn't have time to admire Todoroki's deduction skills as she turned to Aizawa, noticing the bandage scarf around his neck to be active.

"Thirteen, start the evacuation. Try calling the school. These villains even had something to counteract the sensors. It's possible someone with radio-wave-type powers is interfering. Kaminari, you try contacting the school with your Quirk, too," Aizawa instructed.

"Wait, Aizawa-sensei," Ayame took a step forward, "You're not possibly thinking about fighting them by yourself, are you? I know you're strong but—you're outnumbered and outmatched!"

"Thanks for the encouraging words," Aizawa deadpanned, "Learn from this, Ayame. You can't be a hero with just one trick."

"Let me help!" Her fist clenched together against her side, heart pounding and racing at the thought of her uncle going to face this alone. He can't—not against this many—Ayame can't watch another family member of hers suffer!

"Stay out of this," Aizawa turned to glare at her, "You have the duty as a senpai to watch over your underclassmen. Don't let your emotions control you." He eyed the black smoke beginning to surround her in a warning as he tried to ignore the fear in her violet eyes. Aizawa knew there were more meaning behind Ayame's concern but he cannot dwell on it now—not when their safety was his top priority. "I'm leaving it to you, Thirteen."

Ayame bit her lip, trying to take another step forward but stopped when Aizawa gave her a look through his goggles. He was trying to convey the words he cannot say out loud—there were too many he wanted to add but did not have the time to voice.

 _Stay safe. Be careful. Don't be reckless, Ayame._

She turned around right as he leaped forward, cursing loudly at this turn of event. This wasn't supposed to happen! Villains weren't supposed to invade here!

"A-ayame-senpai, trust in Aizawa-sensei! We need to go!" Midoriya shouted towards her.

"Dammit, I know!" Ayame ran with them towards the entrance, angry and frustrated at her inability to do anything. The students stopped running at the sight of the black warp gate and a misty figure appeared, startling all of them at the sight of the villain.

"I won't let you," the smoke manifested in a ghastly figure. "Nice to meet you. We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves in to the home of the heroes, U.A. High School, in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath."

Ayame took that time to inch in front of the group, standing in front of them protectively alongside of Thirteen. She paused at his introduction, mind already blaring at the goals he blatantly stated.

 _They're going to…kill All Might?_

"I believe All Might should have been here. Has there been some kind of change? Well, that is neither here nor there. This is the part I am to play," Kurogiri spread his shadow form and Ayame stepped forward.

"You're not touching a hair on my kouhais!" If she cannot help Aizawa then she was going to fulfill his order, fueled by anger and frustration. "I'm not going to let Aizawa-sensei scold me for losing against a cowardly villain!"

Smoke surrounded Ayame again, this time faster and quicker with her ability to focus and conjure a creature to battle against the villain. A large paw appeared, then a long snout and within a second, a large nine-tailed kitsune took the shadow form, dashing forward towards Kurogiri as Ayame hopped onto the creature's back.

"A-a summoning Quirk?" Midoriya whispered in shock.

 _Not really_ , Ayame thought but said nothing right as she rode the fox at Kurogiri. He faded, taken aback by the strange creature that had landed where he once was, a mini crater underneath the ghostly paw.

Gold eyes turned to her again as she raised her hand, motioning for the kitsune to charge once more.

"Then I'll bring your death to him."

Black smog flashed forward in her direction, surrounding her body and creating disruptions. Ayame lost her concentration then and the kitsune disappeared into smoke. Wide, lilac eyes looked up in panic as she dropped to the ground, then towards the class of students staring helplessly at her as she started to fall into the warp hole.

"Ayame-senpai!"

She reached a hand out right as she saw Kirishima and Bakugo dash forward, the redhead with his arm stretched to grasp onto hers but it was too late. Ayame disappeared into the fog right as she saw ice form around the shadows.

* * *

 **A/N:**

For those that are curious about Ayame's Quirk, she can conjure creatures from her mind in a ghost-like form. She usually creates mythical creatures, like the nekomata and kitsune based on anime she seen cause she's a weeb— (full profile is on my Tumblr: toomuchpineapples)

This USJ arc kills my heart I love angst. Reviews are much loved! It'll motivate me to write!


	3. All Might

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

A blast sounded through the dome as Bakugo's explosion clashed with Kurogiri, dust and smoke clouding the students. Shards of ice were scattered by the heat and Todoroki clicked his tongue at missing the chance to immobilize the villain. Kirishima stood up from his kneeled down position, fist clenching tightly at nothing.

"Where is senpai?!" The redhead demanded, hardening his arms in the process as the smoke cleared.

"Oh dear, that's dangerous," the villain manifested himself again, glowing gold eyes staring at the students. "That's right. Even if you are students, you are excellent golden eggs. But don't worry; you'll meet your senpai again. My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death!"

Waves of smoke shot out from the warped figure, flying towards and surrounding the students. There were shouts of confusion within before the voices disappear as Iida rushed to save Ochako and Sato, turning back to see the dome of smoke. By the time the smoke disappeared, only Ashido, Sero, and Shoji remained.

* * *

Ayame was falling; fast and hard. She let out a shout, eyes wide at the swarm of people beneath her and the ground getting dangerously close by the second. She closed her eyes, imagining a tengu to slow down her fall and within seconds; a medium sized crow took form. The tengu grasped onto Ayame's arm with its black talons, slowing down her descent long enough for her to recognize where Kurogiri had sent her.

"Sensei!"

Aizawa looked up at the sound, dark eyes widen in response to see his niece falling from the sky. Ayame landed on a villain's head, softening her fall with a kick to the thug and efficiently knocking him out.

"The hell are you doing here?" Aizawa dodged from an attack right as Ayame sent the tengu at another villain, trying to reunite with her uncle surrounded by dozens of villains.

"That gate guy warped me!"

"And the other students?" Aizawa activated his quirk and punched an unsuspecting thug, sending them crashing a few feet away.

"I-I don't know—" Her tengu disappeared into smoke as a girl with a pipe swung hard at it. Ayame concentrated on the dissipating smoke, reconstructing the form into an ookami to charge at the one that attacked it.

"You need to make a run for it," Aizawa instructed sternly, "I'll create an opening for you."

"No!" Ayame relented, "That guy sent me here for a reason! Whether it's intentional or not, I'm not going to leave you!"

She could see the scars and cuts tearing apart on his clothes, blood seeping through parts of his body from the few glances Ayame was able to steal at her uncle. Aizawa looked completely worn out and he looked to have defeated about twenty villains by himself. Ayame knew her uncle was not suited for prolong fights—he only rushed head into the battle because he put his student's life before his.

"Hey! Is it really wise to chit chat amongst yourselves while we're still here?!" A villain popped up behind Ayame, hair moving animatedly by their Quirk right as Ayame turned to face her. Aizawa's eyes glowed red, disarming the villain's attack and Ayame ducked to swing a punch at the girl's stomach.

"Fine," Aizawa begrudgingly agreed, "Stick close to me but as soon as you see an opening, you take it."

Ayame pursed her lips, unable to wholeheartedly agree yet still nodded her head regardless. Her ookami moved to attack the villains as Ayame danced around them. Aizawa neutralized their Quirks and Ayame followed up with an attack, efficiently working together to control the damage. It may have been her imagination but it was going way easier than Ayame expected—like the 'villains' weren't as difficult to face as that warp gate.

She whirled around, glancing at the first man to step out of the warp gate earlier. Severed, grey hands cover his body and face yet Ayame could still see striking red eyes glare right at her. She shivered momentarily, trying to contain the amount of killing intent coming from him.

"Don't get distracted!" Aizawa blocked an attack aimed for her and Ayame snapped her attention back to the battle, "We'll take care of him last."

She nodded her head as she spun around, blocking an acid spit with her starry cape. Luckily, it did no damage against the strong fiber and the ookami pounced on the thug, rendering them useless.

"That shadow gate user said they're here to kill All Might," Ayame informed, lilac eyes looking at Aizawa in worry, "He won't be taken down that easily, right? All Might will come save us?"

Aizawa clicked his tongue, unable to reply to her confidently about the tight secret regarding All Might. He threw another villain around with his bandages, glancing at his niece through goggled eyes to see her summon a kitsune when the ookami dissipated.

"You have the power, too, Ayame."

Wide, lilac eyes stared at the black blur in surprise. Aizawa trusted her. With those simple words, Ayame was able to decipher the miniscule approval coming from him. Her fist tightened, determined and confident as she punched another thug. Unbeknownst to her, the kitsune summon grew a few inches in size, powerful jaws locking onto unsuspecting villains and nine tails whipping opponents away.

"That Kurogiri…" Shigaraki mumbled to himself, scratching his neck in frustration, "He dropped an annoying enemy towards us."

His eyes followed Aizawa and Ayame dutifully, counting down the seconds within his mind as the older man's hair fell over his face. There was a pause when Aizawa took a breath, adjusting his bandages while Ayame commanded the kitsune to keep the villains at a distance.

Shigaraki sighed.

"Nomu."

* * *

"'Scatter you and kill you', huh?" Todoroki let out a breath of cold air, "I hate to say this, but you just look like guys with Quirks they didn't know what to do with."

He walked towards the mass of frozen bodies, eyeing them carefully yet unafraid of the villains. None were able to withstand the speed of his ice capturing them and he almost felt disappointed at the lack of challenge. If those 'League of Villains' were serious in defeating All Might, then they were doing a poor job of attempting it when these thugs could not last longer than a second against him. Not that Todoroki was hoping for them to be strong; but it gave him a small piece of mind to know the others may be faring well against common thugs than actual villains.

Another figure jumped out behind him with a speared aim at his head but Todoroki shifted at the last minute, ice spread from under his foot and hand as he gripped the spear and trapped the larger man. He broke the icicle and let the villain drop, turning to the one shivering in both cold and fear.

"Hey, at this rate, your cells will slowly die. I want to be a Hero. I would like to avoid something so cruel if possible." Pathetic, there were nearly tears in the grown man's face when Todoroki put one hand in front of his. "On what basis do you think you can kill All Might? What's your plan?"

The sooner he finds their strategy, the faster he can think of a plan to counterattack it. Todoroki was not going to allow All Might die in his presence.

* * *

"Die!"

Bakugo exploded a villain, sending him flying against a wall as Kirishima finished off the last. The two stood within the collapsed building, breathing heavily as they surveyed the dozens of unconscious villains around them.

"Is this all of them? They're so weak," Bakugo sneered.

"All right. Let's hurry up and go save the others! If we're here, then everyone else should be inside USJ, too. I'm worried about the guys with less offensive ability." Kirishima clutched his fist, "We weren't able to grab Ayame-senpai before she disappeared and got in the way of Thirteen-sensei before he can suck up the fog. As men, we have to take responsibility for what we did!"

"If you want to go, then go by yourself!" Bakugo refused, "I'm going to kill that warp gate."

"What?!" Kirishima gaped at him, "You're going to act childish at a time like this? Besides, that guy's attacks are—"

"Shut up!" The blonde barked back, "That gate bastard is the enemy's way in and out. I'm gonna cut off their gateaway route for when the time comes. It's not like we don't have a way to fight the fog."

"Since you've left your guard down—"

Bakugo slammed his hand onto the chameleon villain that attempted to attack them, creating an explosion in the process and rendering him useless.

"Anyway, if these small fry are the ones assigned to us, pretty much everyone'll be fine, right? That shit-pai would have disappeared along with us even if we did grab her so it's useless."

Kirishima blinked, taken back by the blonde's ability to access the situation. "That reaction time was amazing… Anyways, were you always so calm and rational? I thought you were more like…" The redhead imagined Bakugo's furious face, exclaiming 'die, die, die' at anyone and everyone.

"I'm always calm and rational, you spiky-haired punk!"

"Oh yeah, that's more like it!"

Bakugo threw the unconscious chameleon aside and began to stalk off. "Then go if you want to!"

"Wait, wait!" Kirishima stopped him, "Believing in our friends…that's real manly, Bakugo! I'll follow you!"

Bakugo clicked his tongue and turned around, not bothering to see if Kirishima would really follow. The boy jogged up to him, walking with him at an even pace as he pumped his fist together.

"But you know, even if you dislike her—Ayame-senpai is still our senpai. Can't you think up of another... _endearing_ nickname?"

The blonde continued to ignore him, red eyes glaring at his surroundings and alert for any unsuspecting enemies.

"After all, senpai put her life in danger for us. In my opinion—that's real manly too!"

"I don't care what she does!" Bakugo exclaimed, "If she said she was going to defeat him then she should have! It'll save us a whole lotta trouble than this!"

"Man, you really are a piece of work," Kirishima shook his head.

* * *

"Gah!"

Ayame flew through the air when a heavy arm swiped through her kitsune and body, sending her into the distance at the unsuspecting attack. Aizawa huffed after taking down another villain, bloodshot eyes wide at the sight of his niece rolling a few feet away on the ground. He was not given any time to help when Shigaraki charged at him, grabbing his elbow tightly.

"It's hard to see because you keep moving around, but there's an instant when your hair falls. That's when you've finished an action and the space in between has gotten shorter and shorter. I had to send your little sidekick away in order to get close like this." The elbow Shigaraki grabbed began to deteriorate, crimson eyes wide at observing the hero. "But it looks like you're both pushing yourselves very hard, Eraser Head."

His Quirk activated again, pushing Shigaraki aside and jumped back. Ayame struggled to rise to her feet and felt her brain rattle against her head from the overuse of her Quirk and pain. Her eyes were unfocused on Aizawa, noticing a large spot of red broken skin on his elbow. Four villains surrounded him and Ayame tried to conjure up her summons again— _anything_ —to help with Aizawa but her head felt hazy and cloudy, unable to focus clearly on a creature. Smoke emitted from her body yet none of the images were able to stabilize.

She cursed herself, feeling the dizziness take over and struggled to stay awake. Her body felt sore now that she was not acting on impulsiveness and adrenaline any longer, looking up weakly at the giant dark villain that had attacked her. Wide, unfocused eyes were surveying his surrounding, the veins on his head pulsating in movement and Ayame swallowed down the fear and shakiness of her arms.

That… _thing_ had attacked her but it felt like she was ran over by a truck. Ayame knew she was not physically in the best shape; she could take a beating or two. But that villain just hit her once and she already felt out of breath and powerless.

"That Quirk isn't suited for fighting long fights against a large group, is it?" Shigaraki slowly stood up from his fallen state, a carefree tone in his voice as he studied Aizawa. "Isn't this too different from your usual job? What you're good at is a short fight after a surprise attack, right? Even so, you jumped right in to fight us from the front. Was that to put your students at ease?"

The villains surrounding Aizawa attacked but he relented. Despite his fatigued state and injured arm, Aizawa fought with the same vigor as before. Ayame's vision began to come back as she rested on the ground, breathing deeply to calm her rapid heartbeat and ignoring the pain as she forced herself on her knees.

"You're so cool…!" Shigaraki exclaimed, deeply amused by the hero's efforts. "By the way, Hero… I'm not the last boss."

All it took was a blink and Nomu appeared behind Aizawa, one large hand slamming down his face and ripping the goggles off. Ayame gasped, barely believing what her eyes was seeing as blood splattered from her uncle as the giant villain punched Aizawa again, and again, and again.

"Shouta-oji!"

Shigaraki turned to Ayame as she pushed herself to stand up, taking one step forward towards Aizawa but collapsed back onto the ground. She gasped, watching with wide eyes in horror as the monster continued to beat her uncle and—he was unable to fight back. Tears began to build up behind her eyes and she sees a blur of colors and red—so much _red_.

"Oh? What an unexpected development," there was a light and happy tone in Shigaraki's voice, teeth widening behind the hand as his eyes looked over Ayame's trembling form. "You're related to…Eraser Head? How does it feel? Watching him crumble in front of our very own anti-Symbol of Peace, the bioengineered 'Nomu'. He will be the first kill before All Might."

"Stop it!" She screamed as the monster twisted Aizawa's arm, crushing his elbow like a twig under his strong grasp and causing Aizawa to shout out in pain.

"Did you want to take his place instead?" Shigaraki giggled, tilting his head to the side playfully yet Ayame was unable to respond. She trembled in front of them, feeling the horror and dread consuming her because Aizawa was beaten—he's being overpowered—her uncle can't…!

"Ayame, run!"

Aizawa turned at that time to activate his Quirk, glaring into the Nomu's eyes yet the monster slammed another palm onto his other arm. The hero cried out again, both of his arms bending at an awkward, broken angle and Ayame lost the strength to move.

"N-no…stop," Ayame cried yet she wasn't sure who she was asking anymore. The Nomu grabbed Aizawa's head and slammed it into the ground, a small crater forming beneath him just from the impact. She felt hopeless, useless—weak. Ayame watched her uncle be tortured in front of her eyes, dragging her body to _move_.

Something flicked besides Shigaraki and the warp gate appeared in his shadow form. Ayame could do nothing but watch in horror. If he joined the fight too—then it really will be the death to them both. There was absolutely nothing Ayame can do in her injured state and she could feel tears overflowing.

"Kurogiri, did you kill Thirteen?"

"I put Thirteen out of action, but there were students that I was unable to disperse and one of them was able to run away."

She paused, looking up almost hopefully at the news. If one of the students managed to escape—that means there was hope for them. If they can hold out for a little longer then the Pro Heroes will arrive on time; Ayame prayed.

Shigaraki looked none too pleased by the news, his fingers reached upwards to scrap at his neck. "Kurogiri, you… If you weren't a warp gate, I would've crushed you to pieces." Ayame resisted a shiver from the killer intent the villain emitted, watching everything unfold through teary eyes. "We can't win against dozens of pros. It's game over. Man, it's game over this time. Let's go home."

Her eyes widen. They were going to go home? After everything they've been through—they're just going to…leave? Ayame may not be the smartest in class but—even she knew it cannot be that simple. Something felt terribly wrong with that villain's statement and slowly, crimson eyes turned to her.

"But before we leave, let's smash some of his pride as the Symbol of Peace!"

Ayame didn't even have time to blink.

Shigaraki appeared in front of her so fast her eyes couldn't even track his movement. A pale hand reached forward towards her face, lilac eyes widening as she barely processed the man in front of her had put his hand on her face.

But nothing happened.

"Tch," Shigaraki turned his head, "You really are cool…Eraser Head."

Aizawa forced his head to stay up, eyes glowing red to erase the villain's Quirk at the last moment. Nomu slammed his head back down and Ayame strained herself to move through the pain and shock, slapping his hand away in his moment of distraction. A flash of blue and green appeared from the corner of her eyes and she turned to see Midoriya fly towards Shigaraki.

"Let senpai go!" Midoriya pulled back his fist and Ayame swore she saw his veins glow when he released his fist. "Smash!"

A shockwave rang out the dome as Midoriya's attack made contact and Ayame tumbled backwards from the sheer _power_ of the attack. She coughed, putting one hand up to shield her eyes as the braids behind her head become undone and brown locks flew around wildly.

 _This is…Deku-kun's power?!_

The smoke cleared, revealing the giant Nomu shielding Shigaraki from the assault. It didn't look like it took any damage at all and Shigaraki looked calm, unsurprised by the sneak attack.

"You move well. Your 'smash'… Are you a follower of All Might's?" He shrugged, slowly turning his attention back to Ayame. "Oh well, I'm done with you."

The Nomu grabbed Midoriya and Ayame pushed herself to her feet, reaching out to the shorter boy in a panic. She ignored the hands reaching over to touch her, still uncertain of the villain's Quirk and focused on conjuring up a large serpent to wrap around the Nomu's hand in hopes of stopping his attack. She barely recognized the pink tongue wrapping around Midoriya's waist before a giant crash echoed throughout the whole dome.

The villains stopped moving and Ayame's concentration vanished as everyone turned to the source of the new arrival. Tears began to pool her eyes again at the sound of a masculine voice echoing throughout the plaza, staring at the embodiment of hope.

"It's fine now!" All Might boomed, "I am here!"

Ayame's tears fell, watching her most admired Hero appear right before her eyes.

* * *

" _Kaa-san!"_

 _Four year old Ayame pointed towards the television, lilac eyes wide and excited to see the hero on screen. Yume giggled, brushing back her sister's light brown hair and nodded her head._

" _Yup! That's kaa-san alright!"_

 _They watched as the press congratulated Nightmare's accomplishment in stopping another villain. The screen flickered to the hero then another wearing a tight bodysuit of red, blue, and white with a blue cape. All Might's shining smile appeared on the screen as he took down multiple villains with the help of Nightmare, both shaking hands happily at the end._

" _Who's that?" Ayame turned to her sister curiously, pointing towards the tanned blonde._

" _That's the strongest hero ever! The Symbol of Peace; All Might!" Yume clapped her hands excitedly, violet eyes sparkling in admiration._

" _Stronger than okaa-san?" Ayame questioned again, opening her mouth in shock as Yume nodded her head. "More! I wanna see more!"_

 _Yume spent the rest of that afternoon showing old videos of All Might saving civilians to Ayame. The younger girl watched with wide eyes at everything, her admiration for the hero grew with each clip. Ayame loved the way he took down villains without breaking a sweat. She loved how he was able to smile through every single battle, reassuring everyone watching that there was no need to fear._

" _Why? Because I am here!"_

 _Ayame cheered loudly, raising her hands in excitement as she imitated All Might's poses. Yume watched her sister with mirth as they both talked excitedly about each video and All Might until their mother came home._

" _Tadaima," Shiko shouted through the house, taking off her boots as she made her way indoors, "Yume! Ayame! Where are you?"_

" _Okaeri, okaa-san!" Ayame rounded the corner at that time, jumping into her mother's arms happily as Yume trailed behind her. "We saw you on T.V. today! With All Might!"_

" _Oh?" Shiko looked at the child in her arms in amusement, "Well what do you think? Wasn't your okaa-san the greatest?"_

" _Mmm!" Ayame agreed, "But not as great as All Might! He's my favorite!"_

 _Shiko gasped in disbelief, staring at her child in betrayal as Yume giggled behind her hands. "Ayame! I'm your okaa-san! Shouldn't I be your number one hero?"_

" _You're my number one kaa-san!" Ayame reaffirmed, "But All Might is my number one Hero!"_

 _Their mother turned to Yume in shock, black eyes scanning the elder daughter who appeared to look almost guilty. "How many videos did you show her? In one afternoon, my little baby doesn't see me as her favorite hero anymore!"_

" _Sorry, okaa-san," Yume smiled sheepishly, "I like All Might, too."_

 _Shiko gasped dramatically, dropping onto her knees as she held both of her daughters in her arms. "Betrayed—by my own blood! There's only one thing to do…"_

 _The sisters blinked, staring at their mother with curious violet eyes as Shiko leaned back._

" _I'm going to tickle you until you admit I'm better!"_

 _Ayame squealed, hiding behind Yume while their mother encased them both in another hug. Laughter rang through the house as Shiko played with her daughters, laughing along with them in her arms._

" _But you know okaa-san," Ayame said between giggles, "I'm going to be a hero too! I'll be strong like All Might and save people with a smile! That's what heroes do!"_

" _Oh?" Shiko paused; eyes softening at the fire in her child's eyes._

" _You'd have to go to school first, Ayame!" Yume poked her sister's nose playfully._

" _I will! I'll go to school and work hard! I'll become a strong hero just like All Might! And one day, I'll fight right beside him, too!"_

* * *

 **A/N:**

While I do want to deviate from the main story, I will not because I love the development and growth of everyone in canon. This will focus more on Ayame's growth in the BnHA world alongside of the other precious children so I'm sorry if it seems repetitive!

If you've read my other stories, whether it by ATLA or BTS, I love to focus on friendship development first before romance. Even though I did choose it as romance, I like to slowly incorporate Ayame into the world before we get to the good part! Slow burn is my favorite genre and this one will be quite a slow build so I apologize if there isn't much romance in the beginning!

Thank you everyone that had reviewed! I am always such a nervous wreck whenever I write a new story so thank you so much for the encouragement! I also drew more fanart of Ayame and Todoroki on my Tumblr (toomuchpineapples) if you want to check it out!


	4. What It Takes

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

All Might wasn't smiling. Of all the times Ayame had seen clips of the super hero, he had always been smiling. But in this very moment, in the brief second Ayame caught of him, he was not. He was nearly sneering at the situation at hand yet she still felt relieved—so relieved and happy All Might was here.

Ayame didn't know how it happened but one second she was by the villain and the next, she was standing besides Midoriya. She blinked, staring at the crouched figure of All Might placing a gentle hand on the unconscious Aizawa and she realized he had rescued them in less than a second.

"Huh? What?" Mineta looked around and Ayame finally took notice of the short boy; he was here too?

"Everyone, go to the entrance. I'm leaving Aizawa-kun to you. He's unconscious. Hurry!" All Might commanded, not once breaking eye contact with the villains.

Tsuyu and Mineta quickly got to work. Midoriya lifted Aizawa up and Mineta took the lower half of the body. Ayame blinked, brushing away her remaining tears as Tsuyu quietly went over to her side.

"I-I can walk," Ayame reassured with a smile. She cannot let her kouhai be worried and she also cannot stay awestruck by All Might now.

"All Might, you can't. That brain villain took One Fo—" Midoriya paused as Ayame turned over to him in curiosity, "He took a punch that didn't break my arm, but he didn't even twitch. He gotta be—"

"Young Midoriya!" All Might interrupted, turning to them with his trademark smile and a peace sign, "It's fine!"

Midoriya didn't say anymore, trusting All Might with his decisions and Ayame paused. Midoriya's Quirk breaks his limbs? Was that what the students were talking about in the bus earlier? She didn't have enough time to process that as the three others began to walk away, her eyes following All Might in worry.

"B-be careful, All Might! Their goal...is you."

Ayame followed the rest of them before All Might can respond. The hero looked at the new addition to the class momentarily, unable to put a name to her face and inwardly sweated.

 _Did she make an introduction yesterday and I forgot? Wasn't Young Hagakure the only one with an invisibility Quirk?_

All Might turned back to the villains. Well, he can contemplate that later. There were other important tasks to take care of now.

Ayame followed the three of the students back slowly yet all of them were distracted in watching All Might fight the Nomu. He was even in power against the bioengineered weapon and Ayame's worries disappeared as she watched him punch the Nomu again and again. All Might took hold of the Nomu and leaned back, another loud explosion rocking the dome after his attack to immobilize the creature made impact.

"How did he make a suplex look like an explosion?! All Might's on a whole another level!" Mineta exclaimed happily, lifting Aizawa's legs on his shoulders.

"Even though he's a rookie teacher who can't teach without looking at his notes," Tsuyu exposed.

Ayame watched with parted lips at how easy All Might was able to contain the villain while she and Aizawa nearly fought to their deaths. All Might truly was the greatest hero—one she had aspired to reach and yet...there was nothing she could have done against them.

She had frozen in fear. After being hit once—she become useless and immobile not by the pain—but by the gaping fear consuming her at the sight of Shigaraki and Nomu. She had watched Aizawa be beat down and still thought of her safety first while she cried and stumbled like an _idiot_! Her fists clenched together, biting down the pain and insecurities as she snuck a look at Midoriya. In the end, she was unable to save anyone—and became the one that needed saving.

The smoke surrounding All Might and the Nomu cleared, revealing a warp on the bottom with Nomu's body split in half. His giant claws dug into All Might's side, blood seeping through his white shirt as the four of them looked at the scene in horror.

"Were you trying to keep him from moving by sticking him deep in the concrete? You won't be able to stop him like that...because Nomu is as strong as you are." Shigaraki giggled, obviously pleased with the turn of events as he turned to the warp gate. "This is good, Kurogiri. It's an unexpected opportunity."

All Might released his hold on the Nomu's waist, trying to grasp onto the claws holding him in place. He cough, blood escaping the corner of his lips as the students gasped in dismay.

"I do not want blood and guts overflowing within me but I would be happy to take in someone as great as you," the gate user said. "Restraining you was Nomu's job. And then, when your body is halfway in, to close the gate..."

Ayame's eyes widen. That villain could have easily ended their lives if he wanted to as soon as he got them trapped—it was just a matter of cleaning up the remains within him. She nearly blanched at the information, fist tightening again once she realized—Kurogiri was going to do the same thing to All Might!

"...and tear you apart is my job!"

"Asui-san." Ayame looked at Midoriya, breaking out of her reverie as Tsuyu answered the boy. "Trade places with me carrying Aizawa-sensei."

"Gero?" Tsuyu blinked, "Okay...but why?"

As soon as Tsuyu took hold of Aizawa, Midoriya ran.

"Deku-kun!"

Ayame chased after him.

She knew it! She _knew_ he was going to after All Might! Ayame knew Midoriya would try going to save him—because he threw himself into the villain's path to save her! She ignored the burning of her legs as she ran after him, ignoring Tsuyu and Mineta's cries after them as her eyes locked onto his back and All Might's figure.

In truth, Ayame knew there was little she could do to help. This was the most she had used her Quirk since...the sports festival last year and the dizziness had been teetering on the corner of her mind since she was attacked. It was the wisest to stay out of All Might's way—to not become a nuisance to the hero's path or become collateral damage. She knew she was useless the way she was now.

But she still ran after Midoriya.

Because that's what heroes do.

"All Might!" Midoriya leaped, rushing forward with his arm stretched out in his direction.

"Dammit!" Ayame cursed again, her own hand reaching out once she saw Kurogiri materialize in Midoriya's path. Her head continued to throb as she attempted to use her Quirk again, trying to summon her reliable kitsune to possibly blow the smoke away. Smoke arose from her as she concentrated, trying to stabilize the form.

"How foolish."

An explosion blasted into the fog as a figure of black and blonde emerged from the smog.

"Move! You're in the way, Deku!"

Ayame's concentration faltered again, nearly tripping in her sprint as Bakugo appeared out of nowhere and attacked the metal plate attached on Kurogiri. Midoriya stopped running as well, safe and unharmed as the two looked at the newcomer in shock.

"Take that!" Bakugo slammed the neck gear onto the floor, rendering Kurogiri motionless.

A sheet of ice traveled from the floor to Nomu, freezing the left half of his body from the feet to hand and Ayame turned to Todoroki in shock. That ice—his Quirk was ice manipulation?

"All I heard was that you all are here to kill All Might," Todoroki announced his arrival.

The ice had stopped right before it touched All Might, enough to loosen the Nomu's grip on the Hero and he was able to get out of the trap easily. Ayame didn't have time to admire Todoroki's Quirk control again; watching as a flash of red attacked Shigaraki but the villain was able to dodge at the last minute.

"Damn it! I didn't get to show off!" Kirishima shouted.

"Y-you guys!" Ayame blinked at them in shock—how did they get here? And most importantly—they're fine!

"Senpai!" Kirishima turned to her with a bright smile, "You're okay!"

She nodded her head and finally let out a small smile in relief. Bakugo did not bother to acknowledge her but Todoroki glanced in her direction, giving a small nod in greeting before they focused back on the villains.

"Stop acting so stuck-up, foggy nobody!" Bakugo grinned maliciously.

"The Symbol of Peace cannot be killed by the likes of you," Todoroki stated.

She felt relieved at the sight of the students, all of them facing the trapped Nomu and unmoving Shigaraki. They were definitely a capable bunch of students—ones that were able to free All Might efficiently with powerful Quirks on their side. Ayame almost felt hopeful at that, turning back to face them strongly.

"You careless bastard. You're just what I thought you'd be. Only certain parts of you can turn into a misty warp gate. The fog gate covered your actual body, right? If you were completely made of mist and physical attacks couldn't touch you, then you wouldn't have said 'that was close'."

Ayame glanced at Bakugo's explanation. _Wow...for someone with such a temper...he can be quite...smart._

Kurogiri squirmed yet a small explosion was blasted from Bakugo's palms, keeping him in place. "Don't move! If I feel like you're moving suspiciously then I'll blow you up!"

 _Though his behavior..._

"His behavior isn't very hero-like," Kirishima sweated and Ayame nodded quietly besides him.

"In addition to capturing them, they're almost all uninjured. Kids these days are amazing," Shigaraki mused quietly, "They make the League of Villains look bad." He turned back to the unmoving monster and said a command. "Nomu."

The Nomu roared, dropping from one warp gate to another as his frozen leg and arm shattered. New muscles replaced his damaged ones and dark skin covered the replacement limbs, dot-like eyes rolling forward to stare at the children. Ayame shivered again at the sheer power, wincing as she remembered the hit she had taken.

"Even though his body's broken...he's still moving?" Midoriya asked in disbelief.

"Get back!" Ayame instructed, "He's fast and can easily overpower us on strength alone. It's almost like...All...Might."

They turned to her as she slowed her speech, turning to the hero with a dazed look as she mentally made the connection. The villain had said the Nomu was created to become the 'anti-Symbol of Peace' and their goal was to kill All Might. They had almost succeeded—yet with All Might's injury; does that mean the Nomu could possible win against him? He could also super regenerate his broken limbs and match up with All Might's power...!

"Nomu has been modified to take you at 100%. He's a super efficient sand-bag!" Shigaraki grinned, "But first, we need our gate back. Go, Nomu."

That was all it took for the Nomu to disappear. They did not have time to react as Bakugo turned his head right as Nomu appeared in front of him, one fist raised to punch. It made contact with something; dust cloud surrounded them again and the students rolled back from the shockwave. Ayame gasped, coughing in pain from her tired limbs as she looked between two large dust clouds.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya shouted in shock yet Ayame blinked at the head of ash blonde to her side.

"Kac...chan?" She repeated the nickname, more stunned rather than mocking as the others turned to stare at Bakugo sitting next to them.

"Y-you dodged? That's amazing!" Midoriya exclaimed.

"No, shut up, scum!" Bakugo retaliated, "And don't call me that!" He would have glared at Ayame if he was able to tear his eyes away from the collision but she did not care.

"Then how...?" Kirishima asked.

Lilac eyes spun towards the wall where Nomu had sent another figure flying, heart racing as she saw the smoke clear to reveal—

"All Might!"

He coughed, breathing heavily as blood continued to seep out through his wounds. All Might lowered his arms and they were able to see more blood dripping from his mouth. Ayame gulped; she had never seen All Might so _tattered_ before.

"Do you not know how to hold back?"

"It was to rescue my companions. I had no choice. I mean, earlier, that plain looking one was about to punch me with everything he had, you know." Shigaraki pointed towards Midoriya. "Violence for the sake of others makes it admirable. Isn't that right, Hero?"

 _What kind of backwards thinking is that?! He was the one that attacked us first!_ Ayame bit her lips angrily, glaring at the villain who continued to ramble on.

"You know what, All Might? I'm angry. I'm angry at this world that categorizes the same violent acts as heroic of villainous, deciding what's good and what's bad. 'Symbol of Peace'? Hah! You're just a device to repress violence. Violence only breeds violence. The world will know this once we kill you!"

"That's preposterous," All Might denied. "The eyes of white-collar criminals like you burn silently. You just want to enjoy this yourself, don't you, you liar?"

"He already figured me out?" Shigaraki whispered.

Todoroki frowned, having enough of the chattering as he readied a stance. "It's three against six."

"Kacchan already exposed the fog's weakness!" Midoriya confirmed.

"These guys are crazy, but if we backup All Might, we can push them back!" Kirishima hardened his hands.

Ayame said nothing. If anything, it felt more like three against five with her current state. She was still in pain from the hit she took from the Nomu earlier and her Quirk had been over exhausted moments ago. It hurts to even stand up without trembling right now—and it wasn't just the pain stopping her. She was still too damn _scared_ to face the Nomu—to see that _thing_ attack Aizawa like a ragdoll and break him in front of her eyes over and over again—

"No!" All Might stepped forward, "Run away."

Run away? She was being told to run away again?

"You would've been in trouble if I hadn't done anything earlier, right?" Todoroki refused.

"That was a different story, Young Todoroki. Thanks," All Might gripped a fist, "But it's fine! Just watch as a pro gives it everything he's got!"

"But All Might you're bleeding!" Midoriya pointed out.

Ayame had heard nearly those same words before—right before Aizawa went ahead and charge forward in order to protect them. Even if she knew All Might was strong—will he really be okay going against that thing? Was there really nothing she—or they—could have done?

All Might gave them a thumbs up, turning back to face the three villains.

"Nomu, Kurogiri. Get him. I'll deal with the children."

Ayame steeled herself and stepped forward regardless, putting one arm in front of the three students. Aizawa had entrusted this task to her. All Might was going to fight them alone. She cannot allow herself to be frozen with fear as crazed red eyes bore into hers; Shigaraki charging towards them at once.

"Hey, we've gotta do this after all!" Kirishima prepared himself.

"No! Don't let him touch you!" Ayame shouted. Kirishima's Quirk would be useless against the villains if he relied on touch alone. It would be the best option to attack at range, something Todoroki's ice would have an advantage of and her own summons if she can just focus long enough to materialize one.

But they didn't have to even do anything when All Might dashed forward, surprising them all as Nomu rushed in to meet All Might's advances. Their punches met in the middle, causing a ripple to break out between them while the children were blown back by the shockwave. All Might and the Nomu continued to trade blows too fast for them to see, matching each other evenly yet the shockwave with each punch forced the students on their knees.

"A head-on fistfight?" Midoriya barely managed to analyze as he gripped his fist into the dirt, slowing his movement.

Ayame coughed again, tumbling backwards from the lack of control and collided with a body. A warm hand settled on her shoulder on one side while she leaned on a hardened body, looking up with wide eyes at Todoroki steadying her with the hand covered in ice and Kirishima being the wall for her.

"T-thanks," she said between labored breathing, one hand raised to block the wind from her face.

Kirishima managed to smile in reassurance and Todoroki focused back onto the battle yet neither left her side as All Might and Nomu continued on.

"If your Quirk isn't shock nullification but shock absorption, then there's a limit to it, right?" Nomu made a direct hit on All Might's wound, causing him to pause in pain before bracing himself again with more vigor. "Made to fight me? If you can withstand me at 100% then I'll force you to surrender from beyond that!"

All Might was forcing the Nomu back by sheer power. Despite the wounds he sustained, All Might was still able to force the monster backwards. They could only watch with wide eyes at the turn of events as All Might punched Nomu, sending him flying backwards and gave chase.

"A hero...can always break out of a tough spot!"

The five watched in shock and amazement as All Might threw the Nomu on the ground, creating a huge crater from the impact and landed right next to him.

"Hey villain, have you ever heard of these words?" All Might grinned, "Go beyond! Plus Ultra...!"

All Might sent the Nomu flying through the air, breaking the roof in his last hit and created another shockwave throughout the dome. Ayame's eyes widen, looking up in disbelief at where Nomu used to be.

"Is this a comic book? It's like he nullified the shock absorption," Kirishima said as Ayame got out of his grasp, stabilizing her enough to stand by herself.

"Yeah..." Ayame agreed, "His brute strength is crazy."

"What insane power..." Bakugo even commented. "Does this mean he rushed at him so fast he couldn't regenerate?"

Was that even possible? Ayame could not believe her eyes as she stared at All Might, straightening his body again with the same grin.

"I really have gotten weaker... In my prime, five hits would've been enough...but it took more than three hundred hits."

She blinked, mouth dropping open at All Might's carefree explanation. _More than three hundred hits?! I'm still feeling the aftereffect of just one!_ Ayame was awestruck again, staring at the hero she had admired since childhood. This display of power and self-assurance...

 _Is this...what it's meant to be a Hero?_

"I'm sure we'd all like to end this as soon as possible," All Might turned back to the remaining villains confidently.

Shigaraki looked absolutely frustrated, hands reaching upwards again to claw at his neck. They all turned to the villains as he mumbled to himself, irritated with All Might's ability to defeat their secret weapon. Ayame caught the words of All Might being weaker and her brows furrowed at that; based on what source was that? All Might was still alive and kicking! Sure he took on a few more hits than expected but—All Might was still the strongest!

"What's wrong?" All Might taunted, "You're not coming? You said you'd 'clear' this or something, right?"

The villain visibly jumped back at the threat and even Bakugo whispered All Might's name in surprise. This was the first time they had seen All Might so frightening—so unlike the bright smiles and grins he always displayed on camera.

"As expected, it looks like there is no need for us to fight," Todoroki said and Ayame sighed in relief. She wouldn't be able to handle another prolong battle like she had went through. Heterochromia eyes glanced at her small sigh yet Ayame took no notice of it, lifting one hand to her forehead as the dull ache in her head began to subside.

"Midoriya! We should get out of here now!" Kirishima instructed, "It'll be worse if we end up getting taken hostage instead!"

They turned to Midoriya, clearly focused on All Might's frame unmoving despite Kirishima's suggestion. Ayame paused, blinking at the boy who did not move. Midoriya was the one that ran after All Might without a second thought. He was the one that had risked his life to save hers, too. What was he seeing that they cannot?

"Deku-kun?" Ayame set a hand on his shoulder, nearly startling the boy from his thoughts as he turned to her with a blush. "You okay?"

"Y-y-yes, s-senpai!"

"We should go," she reinstated Kirishima's statement; "...the villains are starting to stir again."

As if on cue, the fallen villains began to groan and stand up. Ayame frowned at the sight of them. It had taken her and Aizawa so long to crush them—but the fight between All Might and Nomu had dragged on longer than they anticipated. She exhaled slowly. The headache was nearly gone now after her little break and her body still felt sore but it was nothing Ayame can't handle. She would be able to fight again, if necessary.

"All Might will do something about the main bad guys. Let's go help the others!" Kirishima activated his Quirk as he and Bakugo faced the villains.

Midoriya hesitated again, looking between Ayame and All Might as the smoke began to clear around them. She followed his gaze as well, noticing nothing out of the ordinary with All Might besides the ripped clothes and tussled hair.

Before they can study All Might longer, Shigaraki began to charge towards the hero in anger. "This is revenge for Nomu!"

Their eyes widen, turning towards the villains as the gate user rushed forward to join the battle. Ayame watched with wide eyes, mentally screaming at All Might to move—to fight back—to do something because he definitely had a plan, right?!

A rush of wind blew past her again, tangling her long hair backwards as the spot Midoriya used to be was vacant.

"H-huh?!" She blinked as Todoroki, Kirishima, and Bakugo looked between the empty spot and Midoriya flying through the air.

 _So fast—!_

"Midoriya!" Kirishima gasped.

They looked closer at Midoriya's body, catching his legs to be waving around by the momentum and Ayame wondered what the price he had to pay for his Quirk was. Did he have to break his body every time he used it?! How was he able to survive up until now?!

"Get away from All Might!"

Still, she cannot ponder on it for much longer when Kurogiri shifted his gate, allowing Shigaraki to move his hand through the warp and was inches away from Midoriya's head. Ayame took a step forward involuntarily, reaching a hand out as smoke trails emerged from her arm and shot forward in Midoriya's direction, a small kitsune taking the form as it dashed towards the boy.

 _Make it—make it—please make it in time!_

Shigaraki giggled loudly, his hand nearly centimeters apart from touching Midoriya's face and Ayame felt the same fear creep up within her again at the very same hand touching her. Between the villain's laughter and her own erratic heartbeat, a shot rang out through the dome as it hit the pale hand, interrupting Shigaraki's movement and Midoriya fell down from the air, landing right on the kitsune's back safely. The summon lowered the boy's body to the ground softly as Midoriya looked at the ghostly figure in astonishment before it disappeared.

"Who—?" Ayame stopped her question as they turned to the source of the gunshot. A loud voice echoed the dome, mousy and reassuring as they turned to the entrance of USJ.

"Sorry, everyone!" The principal, Nezu, announced his arrival. "Sorry we're late! I gathered all who were immediately available."

"I, Iida Tenya, Class 1-A representative, have now returned!"

Ayame could nearly feel tears of relief fill her eyes at the sight. Iida had been the one to escape safely and rounded up the Pro Heroes. Iida had been the one Kurogiri had warned before! They had held out long enough for them to arrive!

The Pro Heroes quickly got to work as they disarmed the rousing villains. Snipe shot Shigaraki again, immobilizing the villain from his position and the warp gate quickly covered his hurt body with his shadow. The villains tried to make an escape but Thirteen activated his Quirk, sucking in the fog from his distance and dragging the two upwards.

"I may have failed this time," Shigaraki glared hatefully at All Might, "But I will kill you next time...Symbol of Peace, All Might!"

They disappeared, smoke and all and leaving nothing in its wake. Ayame would have collapsed right then and there knowing that the Pro Heroes had finally arrived to rescue them.

"If this many Pro Heroes have gathered here then it looks like they did not attack the whole school," Todoroki reasoned.

Ayame did not respond as she turned to Midoriya, seeing the boy shaking on the ground and worry consumed her at the sight. Did Shigaraki manage to get him in the end? Was he hurt anywhere else?

"Deku-kun!" She pushed her body to run towards him, Kirishima following close behind.

"Are you all right?!" Kirishima yelled behind her.

Midoriya looked up from his position on the ground, dark green eyes wide at seeing them both in surprise. He opened his mouth to respond but paused, looking between All Might's hidden figure behind the smoke then back to the two running towards them.

"S-senpai! K-Kirishima-kun, w-wait!"

A large concrete wall appeared in front of them and Ayame yelped, crashing into it face first while Kirishima was lucky enough to stop right before he hit it too. He gasped as he watched Ayame fall onto the ground groaning in pain from the contact and the last strength within her body disappeared.

 _Did I push myself too hard?_ Ayame rubbed her head.

"We want to make sure that all the students are safe, so please gather in front of the gate," Cementoss instructed as he stood up from creating the wall, "We will deal with the injured here."

"Oh, that makes sense," Kirishima blinked. "Roger that! Let's go, Ayame-senpai!"

She groaned again, her arms trembled, straining to push herself upwards. Kirishima gasped, kneeling down besides her immediately at the sight of her injured state.

"Senpai!"

"I-I'm fine," she waved it off. She cannot let her kouhais see her weakness!

"You're not." Ayame blinked, lilac eyes meeting heterochromia ones of grey and blue. Since when did Todoroki arrive? "Senpai, you've been hurt since the beginning, haven't you?"

"Wha..."

Ayame could say nothing, looking down almost in embarrassment at being found out. Was it that obvious for her injury? Sure her clothes were a bit tattered and ripped and her Quirk was not as powerful as she first showed it but—how was he able to deduce that?

"Really?!" Kirishima gasped, "You should have told us, senpai! Here, I'll carry you!"

The redhead reached down to help Ayame up before she can refuse, her body tumbling forward while Todoroki steadied her on one side. Kirishima turned around as Todoroki helped her onto his back despite her protests, cheeks heating up momentarily at the bare skin and their efforts to help her.

"N-no—stop, I can walk—!"

"You ran face first into the wall," Kirishima pointed out almost cheekily and Ayame groaned again, hiding her face behind her hand.

Todoroki spared her another glance but said nothing more. He had noticed her injured state since their arrival. The cuts and bruises on her body were more than the other students and he had felt her unsteady balance during All Might's fight against the Nomu. Ayame was pushing herself to stay strong in front of them and Todoroki almost scoffed at that. He does not want others to baby him—he was fully capable of defending himself.

But she acted like it was her responsibility to protect them. Whether it was because of Aizawa's instructions before his parting—or it was just her natural hero prowess, Todoroki did not dwell on it. She was not the only one trying to be a hero.

"You know, Ayame-senpai, you're pretty cool! You always rush head first into battle to protect us—like a real hero!" Kirishima exclaimed excitedly, adjusting his hands under her thighs respectively.

She fought back the flush, looking at the ground almost in embarrassment but felt disappointment instead. Her kouhai had considered her cool but—there was nothing Ayame did to warrant the praise.

"I...didn't do anything," she whispered, a bitter smile emerging on her lips as she clutched Kirishima's arm guards tightly. "In the end, I was the collateral damage."

Ayame was not able to defend herself even with Aizawa's help. When her uncle had been in danger, she did nothing but fall and cry. When she was beaten down, Ayame could do nothing but _beg_ —with such a disgraceful voice and face—because she was not strong enough to save Aizawa from the Nomu. Midoriya had come to rescue her from Shigaraki in the end. All Might had come to rescue them after all. Even though Ayame had run after Midoriya to help All Might, she did…nothing.

"I...couldn't even...protect anyone," Ayame continued, teeth biting the bottom of her lips to contain the sob as she grew frustrated and angry at _herself_. "After making a big show against the gate villain—I had been the one thrown aside and unable to help anyone! Maybe if I hadn't been there—then Aizawa-sensei wouldn't be in the state he is now! Because he had been so busy protecting me—he—"

"Will you shut up?!"

The three turned to Bakugo in alarm; Kirishima gaping at the blonde in astonishment for speaking so roughly against the teary Ayame. She was too shocked to even respond, lost in her moment of pity to even realize tears were falling down her eyes. Todoroki kept silent but even he had no idea what was going on.

"B-bakugo, t-that's a bit..."

"Quiet!" Bakugo barked back at Kirishima, lips turning upwards in rage, "If you're going to whine about being useless then do it elsewhere! Nothing's going to come out of your useless bitching, you crybaby-senpai!"

No one said anything as Bakugo glared at the three of them, turning around angrily as if no one understood his point. He stalked off towards the stairs, not caring if the others were following along. Kirishima snapped out of his daze first, following Bakugo almost excitedly if not for the girl on his back.

"D-did Bakugo just...in his own way...comfort you?" Kirishima asked incredulously, red eyes wide at the blonde's back.

"I didn't do shit!" Bakugo yelled back, turning his head slightly to glare at them, "Don't make up stupid lies!"

Kirishima could only grin back, not believing him at the slightest. He had caught onto Bakugo's change in nickname regarding their upperclassman.

Ayame blinked, wiping her tears away at the not-comfort and reprimanded herself. No matter how Bakugo had worded it, the meaning still got across to her the same. There was no point in her crying now and regretting when all had been said and done. There was still a lot for her to work on—this attack on USJ had proven to her just how _lacking_ she had been.

"Senpai," Todoroki said softly, one grey eye glancing at her from the corner of his eye as he walked besides Kirishima, "We're all in the hero course, too."

Maybe he had misjudged her for a bit. Todoroki was not expecting her little outburst; no one would know how to deal with a crying girl. Ayame tried to act all mature and strong in front of them but...it clearly shows she was unsatisfied with her inability to do anything. She was easy to read and she wasn't looking down on them. Maybe what Aizawa said had gotten to her.

Ayame was their senpai; she was also a hero-in-training with one more year of experience ahead of them. It was just...natural for her to put their safety first—just like how the senseis had done.

"We may be a year younger," Kirishima began, turning his head slightly to look at her, "But we're capable too! S-so don't cry, senpai! I wouldn't know how to explain to the others if I brought you in crying..."

Kirishima mumbled to himself in the end, sweating at the side slightly as he imagined the rowdier classmates to scold him. Ashido and Kaminari will probably make a deal out of this—maybe even Hagakure if Kirishima can ever pinpoint her location.

A small laugh had left her lips at Kirishima's flustered explanation, imagining the few students she had spoken with before to possibly be worried for her state. Right, of course, she cannot cry...again. Even though they did not know each other for long, Ayame could tell the students were genuine in their friendships and concern with each other. Whether she was part of them or not—she should at least be presentable to not cause worry for them.

"Thanks, Kiri-kun," Ayame smiled, turning to the side at the stoic boy. "And Totoro-kun. Ah—and of course, Kacchan."

Todoroki blinked at the sudden nickname while Bakugo reeled back to glare at her again, red eyes flaming in anger. "I said don't call me that, you crybaby-senpai!"

Ayame grinned, rubbing her red nose sheepishly and shook her head. "Nope!"

"At least you seem to be back to yourself," Kirishima laughed lightly to himself, "And you can call me 'Eijiro'!"

"Okay!"

Ayame smiled. Throughout this short exchange, she can already tell she will enjoy this year as Aizawa's assistant. Despite the unfortunate attack at USJ, Ayame believed this will strengthen her and the classmates instead. She cannot show such an un-cool side of her to her kouhais; she need to set an example for the future heroes!

At least, that was what she told herself in the beginning. Yet she cannot help but tear up again as she saw the sixteen other students waiting by the entrance, unharmed. Ochako took notice of them first, waving one hand in the air excitedly at the sight of the four of them.

"You guys! Are you okay?!"

Bakugo stalked off on his own, ignoring the rest of them as Kirishima gently set Ayame down after her instructions to.

('Are you sure—', 'Yes, I'm sure, Ki—Eijiro-kun!', 'Okay but if you need help again just say the word! I told you I'm strong, senpai!')

They purposely ignored Mineta groaning at the two, muttering to himself about how he should have been the one to carry Ayame (which she was thankful for that he didn't). The police had arrived then, surveying the students briefly as forces searched within the dome for the unconscious villains. The students began to talk amongst themselves as they reunited with each other, only Midoriya was missing from the class of 1-A.

"Ojiro-kun," one gloved hand tapped the boy in question, "I heard you were fired up this time. You were strong by yourself, huh?"

"I thought everyone was by themselves," Ojiro replied modestly, "I survived by using hit-and-run tactics."

Ayame turned to the blonde with a gasp. Her eyes tear up again as she thought about how scary it had been for him. After all, she had dealt with the main villains and even with Aizawa's help, Ayame barely managed to survive the attack.

"Ojiro-kun!" Ayame bounced over to him, wrapping her arms around the boy in a tight hug. "I'm sorry you had to go through that! It must have been scary, right? You did so well!"

"S-senpai!" Ojiro visibly blushed, leaning back slightly from the sudden affection as the ones surrounding him stared at him fully. "I-I'm all right! T-thank you for the concern!"

Ayame pulled back to examine him, sighing in relief as she saw no visible injuries on him. At least it seemed like the students managed to pull through in the end. The villains that were stationed by the different zones must have been common thugs or just weaklings compared to the main three she had faced. Or...well, Ayame already had her suspicions for this class to be full of potentials.

"Senpai! I was alone!" Kaminari appeared right besides her, opening his hands wide for an invitation. "I was honestly scared!"

Jirou punched him over the head before Ayame can respond, shaking her head at the playful as she turned to the upperclassman fully. "Don't listen to him. He was with me and Yaoyorozu in the mountain area."

"Ayame-senpai!" Ochako ran up to her, "Where were you? You look the worst out of all of us!"

She turned towards the brunette with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head and messing up her long hair even more. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Liar! You can barely walk earlier!" Mineta called out, "I should have been the one to carry senpai—ow!"

Tsuyu hit the shorter boy with her tongue again, hopping over to them with her wide eyes in concern for Ayame.

"Senpai, we saw you get hit by that 'Nomu'. It was able to match the strength with All Might. Are you sure you don't have any broken bones?"

Whispers were heard behind her at the new information but Ayame paid no mind to it. She hadn't realized Tsuyu or Mineta had been observing them. Did that mean Midoriya was there as well? After all, he did rush in to save her when Shigaraki had cornered her.

"I-I'm just tired," Ayame smiled in reassurance, "Don't worry! I'm tough!" Her eyes softened as a dozen paid of worried eyes looked onto her. They had gone through so much in such a short amount of time. If they had seen what she had... "I'm sorry you were put in difficult situations. I should have looked after you all better."

Aizawa was right. She had let her emotions control her in the beginning and caused her to attack recklessly. Anger was never the strength in her Quirk—it makes the summons more unstable and easier to disperse compared to a calm mind. But Ayame had been so distracted and blinded then that she couldn't control it until it was too late. This was another part of her that needed improvement on—another part of her that was simply _insufficient_.

"You weren't the cause for the attack, Sasaki-senpai," Tokoyami spoke calmly, the first time he had spoken to her.

"Yeah! We all managed just fine in the end!" Ashido reassured.

"Besides, we know that gate user's Quirk and weakness now! The next time they attack, we'll be ready!" Kirishima grinned.

Ayame looked over the students with a smile, nodding her head in agreement at their confidence. Their spirits did not dither even after the attack—a plus side in her opinion. They continued to talk amongst themselves again as Ayame settled down, watching one of the detective approach them.

"Let's have the students return to their classroom for now. We won't be questioning them right away, anyway, right?"

She pushed herself forward to meet him. "What about Aizawa-sensei? Is he okay?"

He held up a phone device and played the recorded message from it.

" _Comminuted fractures in both arms and a facial fracture. Fortunately, there does not seem to be any serious brain damage. However, his orbital floor has broken into small pieces and his eyes may suffer from its aftereffects."_

"That's what he said." The detective confirmed.

Her fist clenched tightly together, upset yet helpless with the information. Aizawa had pushed himself to the limit to protect them. Would he be able to recover fully from this? Her mother had damaged her eyes permanently for the overuse of her Quirk—what if that were to happen to her uncle too? What if—

"Senpai," Tsuyu's voice spoke up quietly next to her, "Aizawa-sensei will be okay."

Ayame blinked at her assurance. Did she make an odd face or something? Was she that transparent to see through?

"What about Thirteen-sensei?" Ashido asked next.

"Thirteen has been treated. The laceration from the back to upper arm was bad but Thirteen will survive." The girls sighed in relief at the information and the detective continued on, "All Might will also survive. Recovery Girl's healing is enough to treat him so he's in the nurse's office."

"And Midoriya-kun?" Iida and Ochako asked in concern.

"Oh, the treatment in the nurse's office is enough for him, too," the detective smiled.

Ayame sighed in relief again. It seemed like Aizawa and Thirteen took the most damage but—they will live through it. Midoriya's injuries were from the overuse of his Quirk, too but it will still be fine. She felt someone shift next to her and a wave of cold air as Todoroki joined the circle of students.

"Senpai is injured, too."

She lightly elbowed him in the side, frowning at being found out when the detective took notice. "No, I'm fine. They're just small scratches that will heal by itself." The others had a higher priority than herself to be cared for. Ayame can fix herself up at home later.

"It would be best to have a professional look over. For now, return back to your classroom."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

It was around sunset by the time the students arrived back on campus. They were still in their hero costumes as they left the bus and had planned to change before making their way home. They spoke quietly amongst themselves again, reviewing the information they had learned about the villains that attacked as Ayame trailed behind them.

They were a capable bunch—and would become strong Heroes in the future. That was all she could see as she watched them walk confidently back into school. They were able to overcome the dangers surrounding them with a clear mind and no one was injured in the process. It wasn't just Aizawa or Thirteen or even All Might's interference to have saved them—the students had also saved themselves.

Ayame looked down upon her gloved hands, feeling the same bitterness arising as that thought. She should have done better. She had not taken her hero duties as serious. All she had done over break was catching up on the latest anime and video games without practicing her Quirk. This was the first time she was forced to use her Quirk so much—and she had still accomplished nothing in the end. She had thought being a hero was easy—all she had to do was follow her mother and sister's footsteps, enroll in a great school, and graduate to become a hero.

But she was so, so wrong.

The dangers heroes had to face every day were beyond her imagination. They had to put their life on the line to protect others—something Ayame had known but never experienced _until now_. She had been useless and relied on All Might to save her. She had let others save her—when all she had done was cry the moment she saw Aizawa be beaten.

And it was simply _infuriating_.

"Hey, who's that?"

Ayame looked up as the students stopped walking, Sero pointing towards the entrance of the school at a lone figure. Her heart sped up as she brushed past the class, standing in front of them protectively at the figure. Was this another surprise attack? Could they have missed a villain entering the school again? Who was—

Wide, violet eyes turned towards the student before it took notice of Ayame. Ayame blinked, taking a step numbly forward as the other person ran over to them, long brown hair flying behind her as she approached them.

"Isn't that—!"

"Ayame!"

Yume grabbed onto her cheeks with both hands, large violet eyes staring at her in a mixture of emotions. Relief, concern, happiness, and tears were what Ayame saw as she looked at her sister in shock. Wasn't she supposed to be on duty? She was still wearing her hero uniform! What was Yume doing here?

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I was so worried! Look at you! We need to go to the hospital!" Yume rambled on, oblivious to the other students looking at the two sisters in shocked.

"T-that's LullaCry!"

"What is she doing here?"

"Senpai knows her?"

Ayame ignored them as Yume continued to check her over; brushing her fingers over Ayame's messy hair and the strong facade she tried to keep up cracked. In the face of someone Ayame had trusted completely, she broke. Tears began to build up in her lilac eyes as her sister's concern and Ayame hiccupped, closing her eyes to allow herself be comforted.

"Yume-nee! S-Shouta-oji—he got hurt because of me. I-I didn't know what to do!" Ayame cried loudly and Yume brought her into a tight hug. Ayame clutched onto her sister tightly, not caring if anyone else saw her weakness as she continued to bawl into her sister's chest.

"You must have been so scared, right? You poor thing," Yume hugged her tighter and continued to rub soothing circles on Ayame's back, whispering words of comfort to her sister.

The class looked at each other, not knowing what to do until Shoji motioned for them to go on ahead without disturbing the sisters. Quietly, the class left Ayame in Yume's care, knowing that there will be another time for explanations and questions later.

Ayame continued to cry out of frustration and fear. Frustrated, with her lack of power. Fear, for she had seen the face of true evil before her eyes. She wondered if this was what her mother had dealt with before as a hero. She wondered if Yume also had to fight dangerous battles like this by herself.

If Ayame wanted to be a hero, then this was a trail she must overcome. She cannot always cry at the littlest things and yet strange enough, this was the most she had cried in a long, long time.

And Yume knew. Yume knew Ayame was not the type to cry helplessly without giving a fight. She knew her sister was strong and knew she must have fought valiantly no matter what. For Ayame to be breaking down now—it must have meant she was scarred by what she had seen.

"Dammit," Ayame hiccupped again. It felt like she had been crying the whole day with how much had went through. She dearly hoped Bakugo was not nearby to scold her again—or any other students to see her pathetic state. "I swear—I swear I'll get stronger! League of Villains or whoever—I'm not gonna let them stop me!"

"You will," Yume whispered, tightening her hold, "You will be strong, Ayame. So for now, let it out. It's okay to cry."

So Ayame did. She will cry but she promised herself this would be last time. The next time Ayame face them, she will be stronger and better. She will be a hero—that, she can guarantee.

* * *

 **A/N:**

That concludes the USJ arc for now! Wow I didn't realize Ayame was such a crybaby but it was only this chapter. I swear she will be better and will highlight more on her past and relationship with others!

I hope you all enjoyed the story so far! It's a little disheartening at the lack of feedback sometimes but I'll try my best to improve and provide good content! Check out my Tumblr ( **toomuchpineapples** ) for art!

Reviews are much appreciated! Thank you!


	5. USJ: Aftermath

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

U.A. High School closed the day after the attack.

The invasion at U.A. High School's USJ was the talk of the public the next few days. People were whispering about the proclaimed 'League of Villains' and how they were able to infiltrate the most prestigious school in Japan. It was slightly irritable and bothersome for Todoroki to abide the whispers and side glances in public as he made his way to school, white earbuds stuffed neatly into his ear to drown out the train.

In a way, he was used to the curious glances. Being the child of the Number Two Pro Hero had its own popularity but factoring in the odd hair and burn mark over his face, Todoroki was not unaccustomed to the staring. The public was only curious because of the uniform he wore and the recent attack at USJ. They were not particularly interested in him.

The train stopped, announcing the station they arrived at and Todoroki leaned against the railing as passengers left and more got on. The people from the cart in front of him left and he glanced up momentarily in curiosity, recognizing a fellow U.A. High School uniform and light brown hair.

Ayame was sitting down on one of the seats, lilac eyes unfocused and hair was pulled back into her usual braid-bun. A pregnant woman holding hands with a small boy walked into the train, looking around for an empty spot. Ayame broke out of her daze and stood up, offering her seat to the duo with a smile and the elder thanked her. Todoroki was unable to make out the words exchanged as the train shifted in gear again, going to the next station once the door closed.

It might have been curiosity or boredom on his part to continue observing his senpai throughout the ride; Todoroki was a naturally observant person. Since young, he was able to determine the main difference between him and the other children his age. People-watching ended up becoming a pastime for him in public and though he generally understood the reasoning for what others did, he never dwelled on it.

But this time, he happened to know the person of interest during his observation today. Ayame smiled at the kid again though the boy shy away. She placed a finger on her chin, thinking momentarily about something as she kneeled in front of him and the train shifted again. The girl fell on her bottom, laughing sheepishly at her unsteady balance and snapped her fingers. Thin, dark trails emitted from her pointer finger and just as Todoroki had seen before, the smoke manifested a small creature in a ghostly form. The tiny nekomata danced around on her palm and Ayame offered the miniature cat to the kid, grinning when she saw his face light up in excitement.

The remaining time of the brief train ride flew by as Ayame continued to entertain the child with her Quirk. The mother watched from the sideline and made a comment, causing Ayame to flush lightly almost in embarrassment. The train stopped again and announced their arrival to the next station; Ayame got up from her kneeled position and waved 'bye' to the duo. Realizing that it was his stop too, Todoroki exited his cart with earbuds still on.

"Ah, Totoro-kun!"

He paused in his steps, mentality wondering why he knew it was referred to him when it hasn't even been twenty-four hours since she adopted the nickname. Bright, lilac eyes met heterochromia ones when Ayame caught up with him, smiling in greeting at the boy. Now that Todoroki can see her closer, he can make out the faint dark rims under her eyes—whether it was from lack of sleep or swollen from tears, he did not know.

"Senpai," he greeted politely, taking the earbuds off as they walked side by side.

"I didn't know you use this train too," Ayame smiled again, kind and friendly though Todoroki preferred her not to. He was not interested in making friends at U.A.; he was only polite because she was his senior.

"Ah," he agreed but did not press for more. Ayame continued to walk with him towards the school and Todoroki inwardly hoped she would not strike a conversation. He was not known to be talkative like the rest of the classmates that had associated with her; it would be wise if she did not expect thorough conversations from him.

"Did you get home safe afterwards?" But of course, Ayame still attempted. She knew Todoroki was not the talkative type but she had noticed him to be alone before. It must have been the attack from before to be affecting her because Ayame realized what a stupid question she just asked. "Oh—of course you did. You're right here in front of me."

A small laughed escaped her lips yet Todoroki thoughtlessly wondered why it sounded different from before. Maybe the attack at USJ had affected him too for his observations towards his upperclassman—or it may have been the talk with his father that night after he returned home.

Endeavor had greeted Todoroki when he returned, scanning him over once with those sharp eyes and inquired about the 'League of Villains'. It wasn't his safety his father was concerned with, but the strength of the villains he encountered. Todoroki gave a brief report, short and simple since he wanted to get away from his father's presence as soon as possible, and walked away from him without being dismissed.

" _I wouldn't expect the future Number One Hero to have lost at all. If you used your left side, it would be more than enough to capture all the villains."_

Todoroki ignored his father but inwardly he seethed at those words. He had vowed to not use his left side in battle; he vowed to never become like him. His ice was enough, it was all he needed.

He nearly forgot to reply to Ayame when he was lost in his memories, managing a small nod in the end at her comment. She was able to catch onto the gesture, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. They were around the same height—maybe Todoroki was a few centimeters taller—and upon closer inspection, Ayame realized his left eye was not fully blue. It was a mix of green—a pretty turquoise shade that looked familiar yet not. It felt like it should be something she should know of from the corner of her mind yet cannot connect the dots to _what_ (or _who_ ) so Ayame ignored it, merely thinking to herself of what pretty eyes he had instead.

"My imouto greeted me when I returned home. She was always a crybaby but—I had never seen her cry as much as then," Ayame said softly, a fond smile on her face as she remembered Suzume hugging her tightly with their mother and Yume on the sideline. "I guess they saw the news—it was on nearly all the channels, they said."

After school after USJ, Yume had taken Ayame to a nearby hospital to be examined. Luckily, there was nothing broken from the attack she sustained by the Nomu; only a large bruise and small cuts and bruises littered her body. Even now, she was wearing a medicinal pad on the side of her ribs and a cotton patch on her cheek. She would be able to heal if she makes a trip to Recovery Girl later today, it was nothing to fret over she assured her sisters.

Todoroki held back his tongue, nearly pointing out to Ayame that she had cried quite a fair amount before too and wondered if her younger sister took after her. Instead, he was rather surprised at the turn of events for LullaCry to personally show up at the academy. Ayame had called out to the hero fondly and he was able to put two and two together. The sisters looked similar to each other with brunette hair and purple eyes; he would have guessed for them to be related even if Ayame did not confirm it.

"You have a younger sister too?" Todoroki asked in the end, figuring it would not be polite to not say anything back at last.

"Yup," Ayame smiled, eyes drifting down to stare at the ground.

She wondered if he was going to ask about her older sister too; nearly everyone she met did. They were always more interested in the hero rather than herself and after her slip-up, maybe Todoroki found out their relation already. Ayame knew he was a smart boy but she hoped no one else caught onto her mistakes.

"Do you have any siblings?" Ayame turned the question back to him before he can respond. It would be the easiest to divert his attention.

"Ah," he paused briefly, thinking back to his elder sister and two brothers he had not seen in a while.

Though they were related by blood, Todoroki had never interacted with them much. His father was always there to drag him away to train and the only times he ever seen his sister were the brief passing within the compound.

"Three."

"Must be lively."

 _You can't be anymore wrong_ , Todoroki thought.

Although he was personally interested in her relation with LullaCry, Todoroki did not question it. He understood the complications one could have being related to a Pro Hero—he knew it all too well. Ayame's disquiet mood earlier had rose suspicion in him but he did not particularly care. It was not his business to probe around her family affairs.

"I was wondering," Ayame spoke up again, thoughtful and contemplative during the small lull in conversation, "How did you know I was injured?"

He had stepped up not once—but twice regarding her health. She didn't want to appear weak in front of others yet he had noticed while Kirishima didn't. Todoroki had even mentioned it to the detective after and Ayame only elbowed him out of the spur of the moment. Though Todoroki seemed to be aloof more often than not, _he's not a bad kid_ , Ayame realized.

One turquoise eye glanced at her before returning to stare in front.

"You were twitching a lot." 'Trembling' would be a more fitting word but he did not voice it, "When you were blown back from All Might and the Nomu's attack, your body felt weak. You couldn't stand up properly and it was obvious from your ripped costume." Todoroki had arrived at the scene late but even he could deduce that Ayame fought hard with dozens of unconscious villains around her.

She blinked, trying not to gape at how logical Todoroki can be. It does not surprise her, she had witness his intelligence a few times already, but it was amusing.

Ayame giggled. "You know, you're quite a quiet person yet when you're analyzing, you talk a lot."

Now it was his turn to blink, glancing in her direction again at the slight tease. Todoroki just doesn't speak a lot because there's usually nothing worthy to say. He was able to deduce those simple facts easily just from a few observations. But no one had pointed out that habit of his until now; one where he didn't realize he had until Ayame mentioned it. Todoroki just doesn't like talking about himself; it was as simple as that.

"I just don't have much to say," Todoroki shrugged.

"Except when it comes down to the important things," Ayame added.

Todoroki did not reply and Ayame did not speak again. The light conversation had made the walk appear faster than expected and soon, they entered the school grounds safely. Todoroki expected them to separate once within the building since the second year was on another floor but—Ayame continued to walk with him. His brows furrowed slightly and it must have shown on his face because Ayame smiled at him.

"I wanted to check up on the rest of the class too. I can't play favorites," she teased again though Todoroki wondered why she took her 'senpai' role so seriously. It had only been two days since she was introduced to them but her sense of duty as an upperclassman was persistent. Maybe it was her natural personality? He did see her play with the child earlier.

They stopped in front of Class 1-A's door but did not enter yet when there seem to be discussions within.

"Ayame-senpai is related to Aizawa-sensei?!" A male voice—Kaminari?—shouted.

Her hand froze over the door, unable to open it and Todoroki glanced at her again.

"Yeah! We heard her say 'Shouta-oji' during the fight against those villains! Isn't that right, Midoriya?!" Mineta cried out.

"U-um, yes, b-but—"

"Mineta-chan, don't you think senpai kept quiet because she did not want anyone else to find out?" A voice droned out (Tsuyu).

"T-that's…pretty amazing though," Kirishima said.

"And LullaCry came last time! I love her!" Ochako exclaimed excitedly.

"They're sisters," Midoriya confirmed but he wasn't talking to the class, muttering to himself quietly again as he thought back to the siblings. "It isn't that surprising though; they look almost identical. LullaCry had mention in her interviews that she has two sisters but Ayame-senpai's Quirk is nothing like hers… LullaCry's 'Dream' Quirk allows her to put her opponents to sleep within a millisecond yet senpai's Quirk calls for summons. It must be their parent's that passed down those Quirks to them but it's quite surprising that—"

"Deku-kun, you're rambling again," Ochako laughed.

"O-oh! S-sorry!"

The door opened louder than usual but it was not Ayame that did it. Todoroki walked into the classroom leisurely, his hand dropped from the wooden frame and his figure revealed Ayame to be standing still. She blinked as dozens of eyes turned to her and inwardly sweated at the class's discovery.

 _Guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought…_

"I-I guess you found out!" Ayame laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head with one hand and suddenly, she was crowded by different people.

"You're really related to Aizawa-sensei?!"

"And LullaCry?!"

"Wow! Senpai—why didn't you tell us?"

"That's so cool!"

"W-well it isn't a big deal," she waved off, looking away from their shining eyes, "I-I'm just here to make sure you're okay! And it looks like you are! I'll see you all later!"

They blinked as Ayame ran away, staring at her retreating back in confusion.

"That's why I said we shouldn't say anything," Tokoyami sighed from his desk, "It doesn't relate to us."

"Ehh? But why would she want to hide it?" Ashido asked.

They shrugged; no one else seemed to know the answer either.

"I hope senpai is okay," Tsuyu spoke up again, "She saw Aizawa-sensei be beaten down pretty hard."

"She was fighting well before we even arrived!" Mineta added.

"It doesn't look like it but she's pretty capable," Kirishima laughed.

"Oi! Get out of the way!"

Bakugo shoved his way into the classroom, glaring at the few of the ones hanging around still. He marched his way onto his seat, ignoring Kirishima's friendly greeting as Iida began to instruct them to take their own seats.

"Senpai is still pretty cute despite her crying," Kaminari leaned back into his seat, laughing along with Kirishima behind him.

"I think that's part of her charm!" Ochako piped up.

The class began to settle down and the topic regarding Ayame moved on to another. Todoroki sat at his own desk and contributed nothing to the conversation surrounding him. He only knew just a tad bit more about her than the others but it wasn't interesting enough to share with the class. Though he could use it as a conversation starter, Todoroki kept to himself. He wasn't the type to gossip anyways.

* * *

Ayame arrived back to her classroom with a sigh. She had not meant to run off as abruptly as she planned but she wasn't expecting her relation to her uncle to be discovered. Thinking back, she realized it would not make sense for the others to _not_ find out—she _did_ bawl in front of her sister.

 _Ah…how embarrassing_ , Ayame inwardly sweated.

For someone who tried to show her cool side to her kouhais, she did quite some less-than-cool stunts already. She just wanted to prove herself and show off her status as a second year at U.A.! The admiring looks she received from some of Class 1-A students had been her motivation; she did not want to let her kouhais and uncle down.

Yet the sudden attack at USJ called for a more pressing matter at hand than her own reputation. The villains had invaded with the intent to kill All Might. Ayame had finally seen her most admired hero in real life—only to watch him nearly be crushed by that gate user. It was a rollercoaster of chaotic emotions the day before and after she had calmed down at home, Ayame knew what she must do.

She will ask Yume to train her.

Ayame had barely slept that night because of those thoughts plaguing her mind. Although her body was tired from straining herself, her mind was too active to simply sleep until it was nearly dawn. The time Ayame spent over break was wasted on her own pleasure than training. She did not exercise as often as before and though her Quirk control was excellent, she knew she could use some improvement.

 _I'll ask Yume-nee when I go home_ , Ayame nodded to herself.

A blur of grey and black dashed towards her and within a second, Ayame felt a solid body collide into hers, trying not to wince from the pain on her ribs. She looked down at the shorter girl and realized it was Hotaru wrapping her arms around her, bright eyes sparkling almost in tears.

"A-Ayame-chan! Y-you're okay!" Hotaru nearly cried.

The brunette blinked, realizing that her friend was concerned for her health. Ayame relaxed into the hug and returned it, nodding her head but she would not shed anymore tears.

"Sorry for worrying you, Hotaru-chan. I'm okay though!"

Hotaru scanned her over and discovering nothing else to be out of the ordinary except for her bandaged cheek, Hotaru let her go. Ayame had planned to make a trip to Recovery Girl during lunch to not worry her friends any more—she can bear with the pain now. Her grin was enough to reassure Hotaru and the two quietly went over to their seats.

Fellow classmates began to question Ayame about the accident. She responded to the most she could, not completely sure of the details herself despite facing the main villains head on. She had gone quiet then, lilac eyes staring at the metal desk and remembering the horrors she saw.

"…Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen-sensei seemed to have taken the brunt of the attacks. They should still be in the hospital recovering," Ayame said softly.

The students blinked at each other but it was Hotaru that spoke up. "U-um…I just saw Aizawa-sensei earlier in the hall… H-he definitely looked like he should stay in the hospital. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe!"

Ayame's eyes widen, snapping her head upwards at the news. Her uncle was doing what now?! She had only seen him briefly when the whole family went to the hospital to check up on Aizawa's status—and he wasn't even conscious then! Ayame had gone home early with Suzume and her father after while her mother and Yume stayed behind but—she wasn't expecting her uncle to come back to school so soon!

She stood up from her seat and ran out the door—almost succeeding if not for someone to be blocking the way already. Crystal eyes looked down at her as Takarada was about to enter and briefly, Ayame noticed there was not the usual sign of disgust behind them.

"Return to your seat, Sasaki. Class is about to begin." Short, simple, clipped. Of course even if Takarada knew of 's events, he would not spare any condolences towards her. But then again, no one in Class 2-A knew of Ayame's distress.

"But—!"

" _Now_ ," he cut her off and there was the familiar glare in his eyes.

Ayame glared back but quietly obeyed, thoughts racing to see her uncle. If what Hotaru said was true, then she must wait until lunchtime and investigate herself. She can only hope her uncle was not overworking himself.

* * *

Ume was livid.

No, maybe livid was too simple of a word to use for her current state.

Ume was disappointed, upset, _infuriated_ with Aizawa because he was currently here, in the teacher's lounge, and not in the hospital _where he belongs_. He was too much of a professional to simply sit still and heal, _resting_ , and had decided by himself to still teach class because, as he quoted, 'I can still walk, so I can still teach'.

But that was all he could do!

Aizawa was barely conscious when she went to visit him last night. She was not one of the teachers free to go to USJ when the villains attacked but she heard the general details from the meeting afterwards. Ume couldn't believe that the school had been infiltrated by over seventy villains and if she wasn't teaching a class at that time, she would have gladly gone to rescue the students.

It was a relief that none of the students were hurt by the attack. She knew Aizawa and Thirteen must have done their best to secure their safety. Ume wasn't upset that Aizawa put his life in danger for the students—she was upset that he's still pushing himself now when he had no business being in school. He had always been like this—even in high school—and Ume shouldn't be surprised for his lack of concern for his own well-being but—that doesn't mean she's still not upset.

A small clatter reached her ears and she looked in Aizawa's direction, noticing he had dropped a binder in the ground. He attempted to lean down to pick it up but Ume saw his struggle clearly, frowning lightly in the process as she kneeled down to pick up the fallen binder. Without a word, she set it back onto the table, ignoring Aizawa the most she could before returning to her seat.

"Soharu-san…are you perhaps…mad?" Ectoplasm asked hesitantly, blank eyes following the usual cheery teacher.

"Mad? What do you mean?" Ume smiled brightly towards her fellow co-worker. Behind her, Present Mic sweated at the change in her attitude. After all, he had gone to the same high school with Ume. He knew what an angry Ume looked like even if the other teachers did not. He glanced at the mummified Aizawa again who had not even moved from his sitting position.

"Bet you a thousand yen that Aizawa-kun is going to apologize first," a sultry voice whispered behind Present Mic and he turned around to glance at Midnight.

"You're on!" He tried to keep his tone low so the other two won't hear, "But Soharu is going to crack first."

The two shook hands secretly behind their back, smirking at their own bet as the others ignored them. It was not uncommon for the two to make bets with each other since they all went to the same high school together. It had been a while since the two felt the need for one and although they were concerned with their friend's well-being, they knew not to interfere with their…complicated feelings with each other.

A phone rang out through the room again and this time, Midnight was the one to take the call. She looked at the caller ID and smiled to herself, waving to her fellow co-workers as she exited the lounge.

"Ume, try not to frown too much. You'll get wrinkles at this rate," Midnight left with those parting words to her.

Ume looked up and opened her mouth to protest but it was too late. Midnight had already left. She sighed, glancing at the injured teacher again and attempted to not frown. He was the reason for her sully mood yet she cannot completely ignore him altogether. It was because they were high school friends, Ume tried to reason, for her overly concern regarding Aizawa.

* * *

"I can't believe you left the hospital!"

Ayame was in disbelief, staring at her mummified uncle in wonder as lunch neared its end. It took her nearly the whole lunchtime to find Aizawa and although it shouldn't surprise her he was sleeping in his yellow bag under the table within the longue, she was more upset with his reckless behavior.

"Wait til okaa-san hears about this."

"Are you really going to tattle on me…to my older sister?" Aizawa deadpanned although Ayame cannot see his expression, she heard the bored tone in his voice clearly.

Ayame huffed. "If it's the only way to get you to rest, then I will."

Aizawa shrugged. "She already knows."

Ayame gaped at him, speechless that her mother had allowed Aizawa to be even discharged when she knew how protective Shiko was with her family. Aizawa left out the detail where Shiko did have a fit but, he was a grown man. He does not need his older sister to babysit him.

"More importantly, how did the school find out about our relation?" Aizawa turned back to ask.

The brunette quickly closed her mouth, trying to smooth out a calm expression but Aizawa caught onto her nervous habit of playing with her fingers quietly to know Ayame had let it slipped on accident. He didn't care; it was the children's choice to keep their family bonds a secret, but he had been receiving questions all morning from Class 1-A and few of the teachers already.

"Ehe wellll…" Ayame trailed off with a sheepish laugh, "I guess some heard me call you 'Shouta-oji' during the battle."

It was in the spur of the moment when Ayame lost herself. Seeing her uncle be beaten so senselessly had broken her spirit and restraints. In that moment, she honestly thought her uncle (and herself) were going to die. It was luck that no one lost their lives during the incident at USJ.

"I'm surprised I managed to even hide it for one year!" Ayame boosted while laughing brightly, "But I guess it can't be helped. Some things can't be hidden and—wait you're trying to get me to change the subject!"

She gasped again at how easily it was for her to get distracted while Aizawa remained motionless in his mummy form. With a huff, Ayame was about to say more when the bell rang, signaling their return to the class and she sighed. Turning on her heels, she gave a brief wave to her uncle.

"You're just as stubborn as okaa-san sometimes. Just, please don't overwork yourself, oji-san."

 _Stubbornness runs in the family_ , Aizawa thought.

Aizawa watched his niece leave quietly, leaning back into his chair as he contemplated the concern his colleagues and family had shown around him throughout the day. He wasn't the type to ask for help—let alone _admit_ to needing help. He had worst injuries but his defeat at the USJ definitely made it to his top five.

With a sigh, he forced himself to stand up as he prepared for the next class. Work was still work. He can still move; so he can still teach.

* * *

"Thank you for the information, sensei. I'll keep my eyes on the lookout, too."

" _Be careful, kiddo."_

"Understood."

Yume hung up the phone call with Midnight, tucking the device back into her pocket as she viewed the city below from a tall building. Her eyes followed a few civilians around but none matched the description her instructor had told her. She put a hand to her earpiece, pressing a button firmly on the side to contact her Hero Headquarters.

"One is a tall man with light blue hair, pale skin, and grey severed hands covering his body. The other is a dark, shadow-form gate warper. Put those two along the S-rank criminals in our database as well. The man was injured during the attack at U.A. High but that does not mean they will not strike again. Their target: All Might."

" _Yes, LullaCry. The message had been sent out to the other heroes in the agency."_

"Notify me first if there are any words regarding them."

" _Understood."_

Yume disconnected the line again as she continued to survey the city. Her emotions had been in kept while speaking with her companions but inwardly, she was angry. Those villains had managed to get away in the end, leaving the two most troublesome ones to escape after injuring so many students, teachers, and most importantly—her family.

A snarl almost appeared on her pink lips but she contained it. She needed a calm mind to stay focus on her task. Although her priority as a hero was to the city…

"No one hurts my family and gets away with it."

* * *

 _Yume was four years old when she discovered her Quirk._

 _It was around the time her baby sister was born. Little Ayame was a small bundle of joy and energy, occupying most of their mother's time in the day and night with Yume by her side. The child was curious of the newest addition to the family but Yume was not ignorant. At a young age, she understood the basic necessities a baby needed with constant attention and love, something their mother kept repeating to her whenever they were together._

 _"You're the older sibling, Yume. That means you must take care of your younger sister, okay?"_

 _"Yup! I will!"_

 _And Yume absolutely loved Ayame._

 _Yume loved the similarities between them. She loved the light shade of brown hair of her sister and the rare times Ayame was awake, she adored the bright lilac shade of her eyes. She can't wait until her sister was old enough to walk and run with her so they can play together when their parents weren't home._

 _But waiting felt like forever for the young girl and most of the time, Ayame stayed asleep. Shiko had explained babies require sleep more than them; they needed plenty of rest to grow big. Yume understood but wondered why her mother was growing more tired as the weeks dragged on too._

 _The weeks had turned to months and Ayame had grown just a bit. It was still not enough for Yume to play with and the baby slept just as much as before but her cries were growing frequent. Shiko felt worn from taking care of the children and took a nap whenever possible when Ayame was asleep._

 _Yume quietly drew on the floor of the bedroom, coloring in the house she drew with a bright red crayon until a cry echoed the room. She stood up, realizing it was her little sister was crying and quickly hopped over to the cradle. Teary, lilac eyes were squinted in pain and the little round face was turning red in frustration. Shiko was not waking up despite the cries and Yume looked between the baby and her mother frantically._

 _"Shhh, shhh Aya-chan! D-don't cry…!"_

 _Ayame whimpered at the sound of Yume's voice, looking at the older sibling for a second before crying again. Yume bit her lips as she gently rocked the cradle and hoped her mother can wake up soon—she would know what to do!_

 _"P-please, go back to…sleep!"_

 _Ayame froze from the words as Yume felt something tickle her eyes. Suddenly, the baby's eyes closed, no more sobs escaping her lips as Ayame fell back asleep. Yume blink, not fully comprehending the situation when the room was filled with silence again and quietly, Yume backed away from the cradle in a daze._

 _The next time Ayame woke up crying, it was a few days later when Shiko was preparing dinner. Yume had been tasked to watch over her sister and the moment the baby cried, she set her Quirk in motion. It was easy to activate her abilities once Yume realized what it was and felt proud of herself for calming Ayame down so quickly. It had never crossed her mind to inform her parents about her new Quirk; Yume just wanted Ayame to grow up quickly._

 _The cycle repeated itself for the next week. Shiko was getting more energetic again with the amount of sleep; she was able to take notice of Ayame's quiet mood. She hoped the baby was getting enough rest yet she cannot shake off the odd foreboding feeling within her stomach at the sudden change._

 _It wasn't until another week had past for Shiko to discover the truth._

 _She had watched Yume put Ayame to sleep the moment the baby opened her mouth to cry. Shiko was in a state of shock—wonder—amazement—yet confliction because of the discovery. Her eldest child had inherited the same Quirk as her—yet was using it for a purpose she could not approve of._

 _"Ah, okaa-san. Aya-chan will grow up faster with rest, right?"_

 _But Shiko could not be mad at Yume._

 _No one was able to teach Yume the right and wrong of her Quirk; of the dangers and morality they must always face because of their power. Poor Yume was only four years old, younger than Shiko when she received her Quirk, and only wanted her little sister to grow up faster._

 _"Yume, you must understand, you cannot use your Quirk so willingly like this," Shiko attempted to explain with a weak smile. "Quirks are wonderful gifts but they are not toys you can play with freely. Under no circumstances can you use your Quirk again until you're older, okay?"_

 _Yume sniffed, wide violet eyes wet with tears as she turned to her mother. "A-am I in trouble?"_

 _"N-no, no, honey, no. It was my fault for not seeing the signs earlier," Shiko sighed to herself. Being a mother of two was already taking a toll on her. "Let's begin teaching you about Quirks so in the future, you will understand too."_

 _Yume nodded her head._

At that age, she still could not fathom what she had done so wrong but the twenty year old Yume can.

Now, Yume can fully distinguish the power and responsibility of a person with Quirk. She can understand the worries her mother had gone through when she was young. Although Ayame never found out the type of trouble Yume had put her in, there was always a sense of guilt lingering within her at times.

Yume truly loves her sisters. Even as she had done wrong in the past, she made a promise to herself to be a hero and keep her family safe—and that was a promise she will never break.

* * *

 **A/N:**

OHBOY it's been a hot minute since I've updated huh;;;; S-sorry! I gotta plan my wedding in March and been focused on my BTS story but I do love BNHA very very much and Todoroki is still my boy. Gonna try to update this story more though!

Thank you for reading and reviews are always appreciated!


	6. Training with Class 1-A: Part 1

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

 _During U.A.'s entrance exam, Ayame barely passed the written portion. She had stayed up all night studying the material with Yume and if it wasn't for their mother's insistence for the two the sleep, Ayame would not have gotten four hours of rest._

 _Ayame had worn her middle school navy uniform, smiling to herself as she rushed out to U.A. High School to take the exam. Although she was not extremely smart like her sister to pass the written exam with flying colors, Ayame was confident enough with her Quirk. It was one of the most unique Quirks her mother had said before, one that would rise up in the world of Heroes and Ayame was confident she would be able to pass the practical exam, too._

 _Her, along with dozens of other students, were taken to a remote simulation city where they could let loose their powers. At that time, the nerves were slowly edging Ayame on as she grew tired after the written portion and lack of sleep. The sudden realization hit when she remembered there was only one in three hundreds chance to be accepted in U.A. and she must stand out during the Quirk assessment._

 _Ayame gulped and rubbed her shoulder. She had changed into a practical jersey now that they were to fight the robotic 'villains' and Present Mic had explained the simulation thoroughly. Amongst the dozens of other students in her district, there were none Ayame recognize. She shook her head, slapped her cheeks, and shook off her nerves._

 _ **I can do this! I can do this! I can pass!**_

 _The buzzer went off, signaling the students to begin and in a flash; the dozens of students ran through the door and into the city. Ayame summoned an ookami, barely the size of a large dog and dashed past the others. The quicker she finds the robots and destroys them, the more points she can gain, too._

 _By the time Ayame had gained 9 points, the other students had caught up to her. She merely ignored them, running with her wolf again and dashed off. A slight headache was beginning to form from her Quirk overuse but she pressed on; nine points were not enough to secure the lead within ten minutes._

 _Although her summons was not huge, they were strong. Ayame's little ookami was strong enough to knock one robot into other, crashing the two together and gaining both points. She cheered loudly from behind and ran with the summon by her side to the next target. Whenever the ookami disappeared, she would quickly call another creature to replace them. Despite straining herself with the back-to-back summons, Ayame was excited. This was the first time she can let her power run wild._

" _Five minutes!" Present Mic's voice boomed through the city, alerting everyone of the time limit left._

 _She made a mental count to herself, tallying up the points to be around 36 and continued on. At that time, a crystal spear stabbed the 2-point robot she had been aiming for. Ayame whirled around, short hair flying behind her, to see a tall boy run by. He never looked in direction, leaving Ayame to glare at his black hair._

" _Hey! That was mine!" Ayame shouted after him._

 _Finally, crystallized eyes glanced behind him to stare at her. Scoffing to himself, Takarada Noeru continued to run forward._

" _There's no such thing as calling 'dibs' in a competition."_

 _Ayame gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to chase after him. Instead, she looked towards the other direction to avoid him but groaned even more when dozen of students were occupying another street. Without a choice, Ayame along with her wolf summon ran after the boy._

 _Although Takarada was not as fast as Ayame, he was stronger. The gems formed from his body were studier than the ghostly-summons of her imagination. Quickly, Takarada was the one taking care of the robots and leaving Ayame to clean up behind._

 _ **Damn it!**_

 _Deciding that she cannot stay in the same area as him, Ayame bolted forward. She even ran past a few robots to leave for him, aiming for the ones further in the heart of the city where fewer students were. Just when she thought she was about to leave him behind, the ground rumbled before her. She gasped when a crack formed on the road and the wolf slid to a halt._

" _What the hell?!"_

 _Ayame gasped at the giant robot that had emerged. It was as tall and big as the building, the armor clinking at ever movement it made. She was frozen momentarily as she stared at the giant robot looking right at her._

 _ **T-this…is part of the test, right?!**_ _Ayame gulped and motioned the wolf to turn around,_ _ **That's U.A. for you!**_

" _H-hey! We should go!" Ayame shouted towards the other boy, their brief rivalry forgotten._

 _Takarada ignored her, eyes boring into the giant robot then settling on the other students running away from the robot. If she remembers correctly, this robot does not provide any points even if it was destroyed. It was better to run away!_

 _Without a word, he ran towards the giant robot. Ayame blinked at him._

" _Huh?" Her summon stopped running in her distraction. "Huuh?!"_

 _Lilac eyes followed his movement, watching him dash towards the other students and guiding the others through the debris. Ayame blinked again, mouth parted as realization slowly dawned on her. Before she can think anymore, the giant robot swung his arm._

" _Watch out!"_

 _Takarada looked up at that time. A blur of black and brown dashed by him and stopped right in front of the other students. Ayame's ookami reverted back to black smoke, drifting upwards and expanding until the thin trails covered their whole sky. Takarada looked up and saw the crisscross pattern of a shell forming before realizing—this girl had encased themselves into a giant tortoise she summoned._

" _H-hey!" Takarada finally looked back at the brunette's kneeled form, sweat dripping from her forehead as she withstood the arm swing from the robot. "G-get out of here!"_

 _Takarada motioned for the remaining students to run and Ayame turned back to the robot. Her vision was getting blurry with every second as the giant robot attempted to break her space. She didn't even have time to admire how this was the biggest creation she had ever made up to date. As soon as she saw everyone except the black haired boy leave the vicinity, the shell broke._

 _Ayame fainted._

" _This idiot."_

 _Takarada ran forward, his right arm crystallized into oversized black diamond shards. He thrust his arm forward, meeting the giant's hand and crushing the metal into pieces before it could pick up Ayame. Above her, Takarada looked down upon the fainted girl with a slight frown._

" _I could have protected myself."_

" _TIIIIIIIIIMEEEEEEE!"_

 _._

 _It was the longest week of Ayame's life._

 _Ayame could not remember the ending of the examination. She had woken up to see Yume with her in the setting sun. Yume had explained how Ayame had passed out right before the examination ended and the younger girl nearly cried in disbelief._

" _I failed!" Ayame groaned; collapsing on the living room couch disheartened after a week of no news from U.A._

 _Suzume quietly patted her older sister's hand from the floor, large violet eyes looking towards the eldest in a silent plea for help. Yume smiled helplessly and sat down next to Suzume, rubbing Ayame's head in affection._

" _It's too early to know, Aya. You did well," Yume comforted._

" _But I fainted!" Ayame's muffled voice came from the pillow. "I couldn't remember anything after!"_

" _D-don't mind!" Suzume's little voice cheered and offered her large bunny to Ayame, "Nee-chan is my hero!"_

 _Ayame finally looked up to see matching violet eyes regard her. A small smile appeared on her lips as she scooped Suzume up to the couch with her, hugging the child tightly because her little sister was just too adorable._

" _Ayame!" Hiroshi's voice rang through the house, leading Shiko around as he waved a letter widely to them. "A letter, for you!"_

 _Her eyes light up in excitement and with a yelp, Ayame dashed forward. She snatched the letter from her father's hand yet couldn't open it, her heart pounding from the nerves and excitement._

" _What does it say?" Shiko asked excitedly, tightening her hold onto her husband yet her eyes was focused on Ayame's blurred figure._

" _I-I," Ayame trembled._

" _Go on…" Yume picked up Suzume and both sisters arrived by Ayame's side._

 _Her whole family was waiting eagerly for the results and that was enough encouragement for Ayame to rip the letter open._

 _A circular device fell out and Ayame stumbled to catch it, sighing in relief when it did not fall. A holographic screen pulled up to reveal a young woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun. She was smiling on the screen and everyone crowded around to watch._

" _Sasaki Ayame," the instructor said her name and caused her heart to skip a beat, "You have scored just a little above average in the written exam. In the practical exam, you made it onto the top 25% of the student's score."_

 _Oh no, she was getting rejected—wasn't she? Ayame pursed her lips again and Yume had to reach out to hold the device steady in case it falls._

" _The quality of a Hero is many. U.A. only accepts the best of the best, ranging from their academic grades to their combat ability."_

 _Ayame trembled again, tears brimmed the corner of her eyes as she waited for the inevitable 'fail'. Suzume hugged her sister's arm and Hiroshi wrapped his arm around his daughter; all of them waiting for the final result._

" _But most importantly, the self-sacrificing nature in always putting others before yourself."_

 _The video changed to one of Ayame from that day. It showed her running past the dark hair boy and blocking the giant robot's arm with her Quirk. Ayame was frozen as she saw herself playing on the screen and then changing to a row of teachers holding up a numbered sign. The numbers totaled up to 50 rescue points._

" _Your valiant rescue effort had been noted," Soharu Ume smiled as she returned to the screen. "Congratulations, Sasaki Ayame. Welcome to U.A. High School!"_

 _The video ended but Ayame was still frozen. It wasn't until her family started cheering did she come back to reality._

" _Ayame! You did it!" Yume shook her._

" _Aya-nee! Congradulurations!" Suzume attempted to say._

" _I-I," Ayame was still wide-eyed at the screen._

" _I knew my girl would pass!" Shiko cooed in admiration._

 _Ayame turned around to face all of them, new tears brimmed the corner of her eyes as she threw her arms around to hug her family. She was laughing at the same time as her family returned the hug._

" _I passed! I'm going to be a Hero!"_

 _That spring, Ayame wore her new U.A. uniform proudly. She admired the grey blazer in the reflection, shoulder length brown hair hung free and lilac eyes bright and excited._

 _Ayame never knew what had happened after she fainted. She never knew the boy she saw as a rival at that time had saved her. Even when the two of them had somehow ended up in the same class, Ayame barely antagonized him and Takarada barely acknowledged her. Although their relationship was not the best, Ayame did not dwell on it._

 _At that time, when her relationship with Sasaki Yume had been revealed, Ayame was more focused on being her own person._

* * *

"Ayame, focus."

Ayame grunted, falling onto the ground with a groan after being knocked down by Yume. She pushed herself to her feet again, wiping the sweat from her forehead as Yume readied another stance. Ayame summoned another kitsune and it dashed forward, ready to pounce on her sister.

With a swipe, Yume's lasso sliced through the poor kitsune and into Ayame's arm before she could dodge. The younger girl hissed at the red splotch on her skin and stumbled back. Yume ran forward and pushed her down, sitting over Ayame and rendering her useless.

"I don't get it," Ayame huffed, taking a deep breath to stabilize her heart rate, "I have a more…offensive Quirk yet you're not even using yours! How am I losing?"

Yume smiled helplessly. "Your Quirk correlates with your mind. If you focus enough, you can call upon the summons with just a thought and they would not disappear after one hit."

"But I am focusing!"

Yume tapped Ayame's forehead.

"Do you remember your entrance exam?"

Ayame blinked, staring at her older sister in curiosity. "Yeah, why?"

"Back then, that was your first time in creating that tortoise, wasn't it?"

She blinked again, lilac eyes closing in remembrance of over year ago. Although the memories were hazy, Ayame remembered the giant summon she had created to protect the students running away.

"At that time, what did you feel when creating it?" Yume continued to question.

"What I felt…" Ayame repeated the words to herself, "I was worried. I thought the robot was going to hurt someone and wanted something big and sturdy to block the blow. I wasn't…thinking that much."

Yume hummed. "And during the attack a few days ago…what did you feel?"

Ayame frowned at the mention of USJ. She still felt so irritated and upset that she had bawled like a baby. She wasn't able to protect her uncle like he had done for her. She was weak and useless and ended up being saved by her kouhais instead.

"Angry…and upset."

"Ayame," Yume softly comforted, "Your Quirk is unstable if you rely on your emotions alone. You were able to summon many yet—how easily were they dissipated? But when you were impulsive and moved to protect, that tortoise came from _you_. One day, your Quirk will become second nature to you and you would be able to move as one with it."

She opened her eyes to stare at her older sister yet a frown was on her lips. Why was it so difficult to control her Quirk? Ayame had improved immensely since her first year already. Back then, she was unable to create a creature large enough to mount. Now, Ayame can create the large ookami and kitsune to a size she was proud of and can even use them as mounts.

 _Though it would be better if I can create that giant nine-tailed fox…_

Ayame shook that from mind.

"It would be easier if I had your Quirk," Ayame mumbled.

If she had inherited her mother's Quirk, Ayame would have easily controlled the villains. If she had their Quirks, Ayame would not need to fight with her life and can easily put the enemies to sleep. There were countless times Ayame had that thought and—countless times other had said the same.

" _Sasaki…Ayame? Your Quirk is different from LullaCry's, eh?"_

" _What a shame! Imagine having two Heroes with the ability to put the villains to sleep!"_

Yume froze by those words and watched Ayame stare off into the orange sky. She was not sure if her little sister had meant to say that out loud but she could hear the bitter undertone clearly. Yume couldn't understand the envy, she knew the limitations of her own Quirk, but she thought Ayame's Quirk had more potential than her own.

"What are you saying?" Yume flicked Ayame's forehead again, bringing the younger girl back to reality and yelped in pain. "You just need to practice! Why don't we try to expand on your Quirk? Let's see if you can summon two at once."

Ayame rubbed her head with a pout but nodded her head regardless. Yume helped her up and instead of sparring, she instructed Ayame to create something small. Her head was hurting again from the overuse but Ayame persevered, creating one little butterfly and struggling to create another.

Behind the glass door, Shiko was staring at the two blurred figures of her daughters. Hiroshi was besides her, looking at his wife in curiosity at the contemplative look on her face.

"What is it, Shiko?"

Shiko didn't answer immediately. Her grey eyes were still following the two blurs and yet—that was all she could see. With Ayame's hair untied, both sisters looked identical in shape and hair color. Shiko bit her lips, her arm tightening around Hiroshi in worry.

"Hiro…" her voice came out soft yet broken, alarming the man by the distress in her tone, "I can't tell my daughters apart."

He tensed, violet eyes darkening by her confession and pulled Shiko into his arms. Hiroshi knew of Shiko's struggles. As the years gone by, although his wife had appeared strong, he knew how much it was hurting Shiko to lose her vision. While he had the ability to watch his daughters grow up, Shiko lost hers.

"It's okay," Hiroshi whispered, leaving a gentle kiss on her head, "We will fix this together."

No one noticed Suzume around the corner, eyes sullen as she stared at her parent's back.

* * *

Ayame yawned as she walked through the U.A. corridor. Yesterday was the first time she had trained with Yume and although she had gotten a full night of sleep, her body was still sore from the beating. She knew her sister had trained hard to improve her body to make up for her Quirk but—she wasn't expecting Yume to _not_ hold back when fighting! Ayame could still feel the bruises from last night!

"Senpai!"

She turned around to see Jirou and Yaoyorozu heading her way. Ayame paused to watch the two catch up, silently wondering when they had become such quick friends but smiled nonetheless at the two. After all, they were all heading in the same direction to Class 1-A.

"Jirou-chan and Yaoyorozu-chan," Ayame greeted, "Ah—that's such a long name! Can I call you Momo-chan?"

Yaoyorozu was taken aback by Ayame's boldness but a smile was quick upon her lips, clapping her hands together in agreement.

"Of course, senpai! It would be an honor," Yaoyorozu giggled in a refined manner and Ayame thought of how charming she looked then.

"Did you hear? The Sports Festival is happening next week," Jirou started the conversation as the three of them began to head off again.

"It's a little troubling to hold such an important event after the attack…but Aizawa-sensei was confident the festival will run smoothly," Yaoyorozu mused.

"Ahhh that oji-san," now that their relationship was not a secret anymore, Ayame did not care about her manners any longer, "Is he expected to fight in his status now?"

Jirou and Yaoyorozu looked at each other, blinking at their upperclassmen silently mouthing off their teacher and giggled. Although Ayame had run away the day before, it seemed like she had eased into the school knowing her relation with her uncle.

"Security will be quadrupled this time," Jirou assured, "There's no need to worry about an invasion again."

"Hmm," Ayame nodded her head, "That would be U.A. for you."

"Speaking of which," Jirou turned to Ayame excitedly, "Everyone is fired up for the Sports Festival. How is your training going, senpai?"

"It's great!" Ayame grinned, "My sister is helping me train this week."

"LullaCry, was it?" Yaoyorozu confirmed, "She's an amazing Hero! I have read that she was Midnight's sidekick for a year before going solo."

Ayame rubbed her nose sheepishly. "Yeah, she's amazing."

"Will she be going to the Sports Festival this year?" Jirou asked.

"Uhhhh," Ayame couldn't answer.

Last year, Ayame had told her family excitedly to come to the Sports Festival. Ayame was so excited to show off during her first year as an U.A. student. Her parents had agreed to go along with Yume and Suzume and for the whole week, Ayame was excited.

But during the day of, Suzume had caught a high fever. Their parents had rushed off to the hospital for their youngest child and were unable to contact Ayame. As for Yume, a high ranking villain had surfaced again, causing the agency to call Yume off to work.

When Ayame realized none of her family had come, she was disheartened.

During the first elimination round, she was not one to pass.

Ayame had blamed herself back then. She was upset to have not gotten the chance to show off her Quirk as much as she wanted. She was upset at herself for losing against the hundreds of other students. After eliminated, Ayame was barely focused on the festivities and watched as Takarada Noeru won the tournament.

When she had arrived home and saw her family apologize for not attending, Ayame put on a bright smile.

" _Ahhh! There wasn't much to watch, anyways! I lost on the first event."_

This year, Ayame wasn't sure if she would tell her family.

"Ayame-senpai…?"

"H-huh?!"

She snapped out of her thoughts, turning to Yaoyorozu who had called her and saw two pairs of dark eyes look at her in concern. Ayame smiled again.

"Yume-nee is always busy with her Hero duties," Ayame said sheepishly.

The other two asked nothing more. They arrived in the classroom soon enough and took their seats. Ayame stood off to the side by the teacher's desk, waiting for Aizawa to enter and smiled at the rest of the students.

Not long after, Aizawa walked (limped) into the classroom and Ayame resisted the urge to frown at him again. She still can't believe he's not at home resting and was teaching instead! He paid no mind to her as he stood in front of the class with an announcement.

"For today, we have a special training assignment," Aizawa began and in a second, the class cheered loudly. "Change into your hero costumes and head towards the gym."

The side of the classroom opened up to reveal 20 uniform case. All the student's eyes sparkled at the chance to wear their costume again and rushed off to retrieve theirs.

"And you," Ayame perked up at her uncle's voice, turning towards him expectantly, "Change into yours too."

"Yes!"

Ayame pumped up a first and ran off to the locker room with the rest of the girls.

Unfortunately, her costume was still being repaired after the USJ attack so all she could do was wear her gym uniform. Although it does not matter much since her uniform does not enhance her Quirk, Ayame wanted to wear the outfit her sisters had helped her design.

"Do you know what we're doing today, senpai?" Tsuyu asked curiously.

All seven girls changed and exited the locker rooms. Ayame shook her head 'no', also curious of today's event since none of her teachers had notify her beforehand.

"Aizawa-sensei usually doesn't tell me the planner," Ayame sighed.

"I wonder if it's another rescue training?" Hagakure suggested.

"We _did_ get interrupted last time," Ashido nodded her head in agreement.

Regardless, they entered the gym together and waited as everyone gathered. Ayame hopped over next to Aizawa, assuming that she wouldn't have much of a role today besides supervising again.

"Alright, everyone's here," Aizawa surveyed the students.

"Sensei, what are we doing here?" Iida raised his hand to ask.

"Today, we're splitting you all to groups of four and," he set one mummified hand on Ayame's shoulder, causing her to look up in curiosity, "will be fighting Ayame."

Ayame blinked.

"Huh?"

The class looked at her.

"HUUUUUUUH?!"

Bakugo was the first to smirk, crimson eyes staring at the upperclassmen slightly trembling from the news.

"You're saying we can beat her up?" Bakugo asked.

Ayame whirled around to glare at him, stepping away from Aizawa to focus on the blonde.

"Hey! Who says you can beat me up?!"

"Aizawa-sensei...isn't this a bit too extreme?" Ojiro spoke up hesitantly.

"Yeah! No one told me I was going to be fighting 1-A!" Ayame turned back around to stare at her uncle in disbelief.

"Oi, you didn't let me finish," Aizawa reached forward to grab her head and caused Ayame to grumble in pain and unfairness of the treatment. "You won't be fighting alone. The students will be split up into groups of four and you will also have one student helper during each battle. Two versus four will even out the score."

"Did oji-san not pass math? How come—ow ow ow I said nothing!" Ayame reached up to grasp his hand over her head and pulled it off.

"What's the matter, Ayame? Can't handle a friendly spar against your underclassmen even with your advantages? How can you show off as a senpai then?" Aizawa taunted.

Ayame huffed and glared at her uncle but immediately stopped when his eyes were wide and scary on hers. She gulped, mentally wondering what she did to piss off her uncle this time for the punishment.

"A-Aizawa-sensei, you're not mad that the school found out our relationship, are you?" Ayame blinked up at him innocently.

"No, of course not," Aizawa grinned yet Ayame felt a shiver run down her spine, "Your dear sister requested some sort of training exercise for you, too. And seeing how _well_ you did during USJ, I decided to come up with this plan."

"I-I-I," Ayame could say nothing in response.

"Ya know, I thought it would be kinda cool to be related to Aizawa-sensei but..." Kirishima whispered to the side.

"I'm glad he's not my family," Kaminari finished.

"What was that?" Aizawa turned his head towards the two boys. Even with his body mummified, he was still intimidating with just one look.

"Nothing, sensei!"

"Alright, now draw your lots," Aizawa pulled out a box from the side.

Ayame watched in anticipation, seeing the students pull out different orbs mainly in the color blue with a number 1-4 written on it. There were four others who had pulled out a red orb instead with the number 1-4 stamped on. Her eyes lit up at the teammates, running over to gather the four boys around.

"Tokoyami-kun, Totoro-kun, Kaminari-kun, and Sero-kun! I'm counting on you guys!"

"Ah," Tokoyami replied while Todoroki nodded his head once.

"Don't worry, senpai, I'll win this easily for you!" Kaminari winked.

"He says that now but watch him over shock himself in the first two seconds," Sero laughed.

"Let's do our best as a team!" Ayame cheered.

"First match: Yaoyorozu, Ojiro, Shoji, and Bakugo VS Ayame and Tokoyami," Aizawa announced.

"Right off the bat, eh?" Bakugo smirked and turned to the three others, "Oi! You extras should just follow my lead! Don't get in my way or anything!"

"Haah...somehow, I have a bad feeling with this," Ojiro sighed.

"Let's try to cooperate and work around Bakugo-san first," Yaoyorozu instructed. Shoji nodded in agreement with her.

"Toko-kun, let's review our Quirk together real fast. Is there anything specific I should know about you and the other team?" Ayame whispered to her teammate.

Tokoyami blinked once at her. _Toko-kun?_

"My Dark Shadow is versatile; can both attack and defend. But I worry he will be weak against Bakugo; Dark Shadow is weak against light but strong in the dark," at that explanation, a dark crow-like figure emerged from Tokoyami's chest. Ayame's eyes bulge open at that, gasping in surprise and leaned close to the glowing gold eyes.

"That's...so...cool!" Ayame was starry eyed at Dark Shadow.

"Hey, did you hear that? She called me cool!"

"Ahhh! He can talk too!" Ayame jumped in excitement.

"Oi! This is a match! Are you going to fight or what?!" Bakugo yelled impatiently from the stage.

Ayame focused back on the upcoming battle, smiling to herself as she ignored Bakugo in favor of her teammate.

"Anything else?"

"Ojiro and Shoji are physical combatants. Yaoyorozu can create non-living materials from her body. I'd worry about her the most."

"Alright," Ayame nodded her head and they began to walk on stage, "I'll focus on Kacchan while you keep others at bay."

"Un."

"Uwahh I'm so nervous yet excited for this match! Who do I root for?" Ochako looked between Ayame and Yaoyorozo before shaking her head. "I'll choose both! Go, senpai! Go, Momo-chan!"

"G-good luck, s-senpai! G-good luck, K-Kacchan!" Midoriya joined in on the cheering, also equally indecisive.

"I don't need your luck, Deku!"

"Kick his ass, Ayame-senpai!" Kaminari shouted from the side.

"Everyone! Do your best!" Hagakure and Ashido cheered together.

"The rules are simple," Aizawa stated, "The first to land two solid hits on your opponent will eliminate them from the match. Guarding does not count. You can also force them out of the stage or immobilize them. This will continue until only one team is standing."

Ayame stretched while Tokoyami summoned his Dark Shadow. The other team readied a stance and waited for Aizawa's further instructions.

"Ready... Begin!"

Bakugo rushed forward as soon as it began. Ayame imagined her ookami immediately and hopped on, leaving Tokoyami to take care of the other three. Out of the four opponents, Bakugo would be the toughest one yet. Ayame had already seen Bakugo fight against the gate villain but facing him was a whole another thing.

"I've wanted to do this for awhile!" Bakugo had a crazy grin on, right arm pulled back as he stared at the ghostly wolf.

"What the hell? We barely met a week ago!" Ayame shouted in incredulity; what did she ever do to him?!

They couldn't say anything more when Bakugo slammed his hand forward, an explosion triggered from his sweat glands and smoke clouded the two. The ookami disappeared from the blast and Ayame winced as she fell to the floor but quickly rolled away when she saw Bakugo jump at her.

"Your damn summons are flashy but they're weak!" Bakugo analyzed, not giving her time to call upon another, "You are naturally weak against me. Now, die!"

Another explosion set off on stage and the ground shook from the attack.

"H-hey, would the stage by okay after this?" Kirishima asked hesitantly.

"Would senpai survive after this?" Sero asked back.

"Hold still!" Bakugo's shout emerged from the smoke; another set of explosion caused more dark clouds to appear on stage.

"Haah?! You hold still!" Ayame shouted back as she ran but—the classmates noticed she did not have any other companion with her.

"Huh? Do you guys see Tokoyami-kun or the rest?" Ochako pointed out and the other students looked onto the stage.

There were slight movement within the clouds but it looked to be just the smoke moving away. Still, they focused on the dark shadows running around within. Even though Ayame and Bakugo can be clearly seen from their wide movements, not being able to see the others was more suspicious.

"W-wait, don't tell me..." Midoriya gasped; theories forming in his mind as he whipped out his notebook. He flipped through the pages until it landed on Tokoyami's page, only vague notes written down regarding 'Dark Shadow'.

"Gah!"

A loud shout could be heard from the shadow and within a second, a boy with a long tail was thrown out of the ring. Slowly, a smirk emerged on Ayame's lips as she saw Ojiro being out of commission but in her distraction, Bakugo pounced. She didn't have time to dodge away when the boy crashed into her, pinning her to the ground with one hand and the other hand sparking in fire.

"Any last words?" Bakugo grinned much like a villain.

Ayame raised one hand to lessen the pressure Bakugo had on her chest, wincing from the pain on her back from the jagged ground but—she was still smiling. Angry crimson eyes glared at her but she was not focused on him.

"Toko-kun! Now!"

Bakugo moved to slam his hand down but at the last second, a large serpent curled around his arm and circled his hand. The explosion triggered but was eaten up by the snake and the tail continued to circle the rest of Bakugo's body, rendering him immobile. If Bakugo tried to create an explosion, it would harm his hands rather than the serpent.

"What the hell?!"

Bakugo wiggled around the large snake but the summon did not budge. Ayame pushed him off easily after and wiped the sweat from her forehead. The smoke slowly cleared and the others can finally see the rest of the students. Dark Shadow had eclipsed Shoji and Yaoyorozu, forcing the two on the ground. Even though the smoke had cleared and Dark Shadow lost a few inches in size, Tokoyami was still in control and overpowered the two.

"Kacchan, this is a team match after all," Ayame got up from the ground with a skip and tapped Bakugo's chest twice playfully. "You thought my summon was weak but you never considered your teammates."

"A bait," Todoroki observed and answering the all of the student's silent question. "She used herself as bait to keep Bakugo occupied while her summon ran off to help her teammate."

"Ahh," Tokoyami agreed. "The smoke from Bakugo's explosion provided sufficient cover and power for Dark Shadow. With senpai's summon rounding the three of them together; it was easy to capture them after."

"Haaah," Ojiro sighed from the side, "If I hadn't tried attacking the wolf, Dark Shadow wouldn't have forced me out of the stage."

"An Emitter-type Quirk is really...on a whole another level," Shoji said.

"Ahem," Aizawa cleared his throat, dark eyes scanning the trapped Yaoyorozu and Shoji before turning to the angry Bakugo still inside the serpent. "Ayame and Tokoyami wins."

"Yes!" Ayame cheered and released her summon, running off to her shorter teammate. "Toko-kun! We did it!"

Once Bakugo was free, he ran after Ayame.

"Shitty crybaby-senpai! I want a rematch!"

"AHHH!"

Ayame screamed and ran faster away from Bakugo. Dark trails of smoke emerged from her body and her trusty wolf appeared. Ayame hopped on it to run away.

"It's over! Leave me alone!"

"Not until I beat the crap out of you!"

"K-kacchan! P-please, calm down!" Midoriya tried to help from the side.

"Should we help...?" Sato asked unsurely; all of them watching Bakugo chase Ayame around again.

"Oi, stop messing around," Aizawa's sharp voice paused any movement on stage.

Ayame stopped running but Bakugo didn't, crashing into Ayame and caused her to yelp again. She fell off her summon and was about to collide into someone but a warm arm steadied her shoulder. Ayame blinked, lilac eyes looking up to see heterochromia ones of grey and turquoise. Ayame perked up and grinned as Todoroki let her go.

"Thanks, Totoro-kun!"

"It's our turn next," was his remote reply, heading off onto the stage without looking back.

Ayame blinked at his aloofness but followed nonetheless, leaving Bakugo to seethe behind. She remembered to turn back to look at the angry blonde, giving another cheek grin to him and running off.

"Totoro-kun! Let's do our best!" Ayame hopped next to Todoroki, pumping her hands together in a cheer.

He merely glanced at her from the side.

"You wouldn't need to do anything, senpai." His mismatched eyes focused on the four opponents before him, "I will end this in one move."

"Huh?" Ayame whispered to herself.

"Second match: Mineta, Jirou, Hagakure, and Iida VS Ayame and Todoroki." Aizawa announced.

"Against Todoroki-kun... Do you think they will be okay?" Ochako asked Midoriya quietly.

Since the first match, Midoriya had been writing furiously in his notebook. Analyzing Ayame's and Tokoyami's Quirk had provided plenty resource to add on. Hearing Ochako call out to him, Midoriya stopped his muttering mid-way to blush.

"I-Iida-kun may have a chance but...it all depends on Todoroki-kun's first move," Midoriya analyzed.

"Ayame-senpai! I won't hold back!" Iida bowed once respectfully before turning to his teammates. "Let's win!"

Mineta was smiling to himself in a daze, looking between Jirou and Ayame and she swore she saw drool dripping from his mouth. She flinched at the perverted look in his eyes.

"Let's beat their clothes off!"

"You damn pervert!" Jirou punched the short boy's head.

"Ready..." Aizawa cut them off once he saw everyone on stage. "Start!"

"Get back, senpai."

Todoroki's calm voice spoke as soon as Aizawa finished. Ayame didn't have time to react when ice emerged from the ground—specifically, from under Todoroki. The clear ice was spreading fast and out towards the four others before spikes shot out from the end. She could only watch with wide lilac eyes at the extent of his powers and felt a chill within from the sudden drop in temperature.

The others had jumped away but they still landed on ice. Their balance was unsteady and fell down, Hagakure yelped in pain while Mineta fell (whether intentional or not) on Jirou. Iida was the only one to stay steady but did not have the time to help his teammates when more ice rushed forward.

Todoroki sighed; a stream of cold air left his lips from his Quirk. Ayame snapped out of her daze. Right; she can't get distracted. This was a team battle after all!

She kneeled down on the ice, not trusting her balance with it and set her hand down. Black smoke emerged from her hand again as she summoned the ookami running towards the other three students.

"Ahhhh! It's the wolf!" Mineta shouted in alarm. He reached up to his hair and pulled out multiple purple balls, throwing it in the creature's direction. "Get back!"

The ball only passed through the ookami.

"That did nothing!" Jirou shouted.

"Recipro Burst!"

Iida appeared by them in a flash, the engine in his legs roared as he swung his leg down. The sheer force of power cut through the ookami in half but Ayame focused before the wolf can disappear, forcing the smoke to expand and reconstruct again. A buzzing headache began to form in her head, her hand reached up to clutch the side of it but Ayame forced herself to finish the summons. The wolf turned into two smaller wolves instead and both pounced on Iida.

"I—" Ayame gasped, eyes widening at her accomplishment and nearly jumped in joy. "There's two!"

"Why are you surprised?!" Kaminari shouted in disbelief.

"It's my first time, okay?!" Ayame shouted back.

Jirou and Hagakure quickly regained their footing, aiming a series of punches towards the smaller wolves snapping at Iida. It felt like they were punching on solid air with the strange structure of the summons but quickly, the two wolves dissipated into the air.

"There may be more but they're weaker!" Hagakure punched one glove hand upwards.

Ayame reeled back with a gasp; her head pounding even after the summons were gone. So trying to control two was more difficult than one giant one—but the fact that she was able to succeed meant she can practice more later.

"That's why I said I can handle this," Todoroki mumbled.

Jirou steadied herself on the ice and plugged in her earphone jack to the amplifiers on her boots. A sound wave of her heartbeat rushed into the two's direction but Todoroki sent another large-scale ice attack to withstand the sound wave. Rushing after another, Todoroki pushed his ice forward towards the four of them and finally sent them out the stage.

"Team Ayame and Todoroki wins!"

From her kneeled position, Ayame can only watch in awestruck amazement of the attacks. Silently, she was thankful she did not have to face Todoroki as an enemy. If she was against him, she wouldn't know what to do against his Quirk.

Her eyes trailed downwards, noticing the slight tremor of his right arm and paused. From her close distance she can see a thin layer of ice covering different part of his sleeve and spreading to his hand. She quickly got up, nearly falling down in the process, but Ayame held Todoroki's hand despite him nearly reeling back in surprise.

"Your hand—" It felt as cold as ice, "Are you okay?"

Heterochromia eyes widen at her warmth clasping his hand. Todoroki tried to pull his hand away and with a slight pull, Ayame released him. For some reason, he was expecting more of a resistance.

"It's fine," he answered, bringing his left hand to his right. Heat radiated from his left hand, melting the ice from his right.

"Wow..." Ayame blinked. More than once already, she thought he was...amazing.

"Ahhh, Todoroki! You don't know how to hold back, do you?!" Kirishima shouted from the side as he helped the girls up.

"Ughh, I don't want to fight him ever again," Jirou groaned.

Aizawa scanned the ruined stage. At first, Bakugo's rampage would have been fine but after Todoroki's ice, it was not an area they can continue with. He sighed, making a mental note to tell Cementoss to fix this later, and gathered the students around.

"We'll postpone the fights till tomorrow. Those that have lost, reflect on why you lost. Class dismissed."

"Whaaat? I wanted to try too!" Kirishima objected. "Seeing all of them battling pumped me up!"

"Why we lost..." Yaoyorozo repeated those words in a daze, clenching her fist together, "That's right! We must continue to better ourselves against unexpected opponents!"

"That's the spirit!" Ashido cheered.

"Oi! You crybaby-senpai, let's have a rematch now!" Bakugo rushed towards her.

Ayame gasped and hid behind the closest person next to her. Todoroki tensed again, glancing between the angry Bakugo and his upperclassman using him as a shield.

"Didn't you hear Aizawa-sensei? We're done for today!" Plus, Ayame doesn't think she can fight in her current condition.

"Then pick a time and date, just the two of us, no distractions!" Bakugo roared.

"Wow, are you asking Ayame-senpai on a date?" Kaminari joked.

"Sorry, Kacchan! I'm not interested in you!" Ayame went along with Kaminari, still dodging behind Todoroki.

"What the hell?!"

The class laughed at their antics in a light and peaceful manner. Ayame giggled before finally setting Todoroki loose after seeing the dark look in his eyes.

"Sorry, Totoro-kun. I owe you!"

With those parting words, Ayame sped off towards the locker rooms to change. She can still hear Bakugo's angry shouting behind her, laughing as she ran away. There was still a lot Ayame had to reflect by herself and train when she returns home but—for now, she believed training with Class 1-A would prove to be rewarding.

* * *

Aizawa headed off to the teacher's lounge after school has ended, intending to finish up some paperwork and alerting Cementoss to repair the gym. There was only one other teacher in the lounge, Ume looked up to stare at the mummy walking in. Aizawa nodding in her direction but she quickly turned her attention back to the computer.

"Where's Cementoss?" Aizawa had no choice but to ask her.

Ume glanced around and realizing that she was the one he was talking to, mentally cursed herself for arriving early. Although Ume was still peeved from Aizawa's behavior, she cannot _not_ reply to him.

"Not here."

Instead of going straight to his desk, Aizawa settled to sit next to Ume. She tensed but continued to type on her keyboard, completely ignoring that he was sitting on another teacher's desk.

"You're still mad?"

Ume nearly punched the keyboard. He's asking if she's still mad? Of course! He completely disregarded his friend's concern and isn't properly resting!

"No, Eraser Head, of course not. Why would I be mad about you disregarding the doctor's insistence on staying in the hospital and coming back to teach the future generation of Heroes?" Ume smiled brightly in his direction before turning back onto the screen.

 _Ah, she's mad_ , Aizawa sighed mentally.

"Miss Medi," he attempted to catch her attention with her Hero name but Ume refused to budge.

Ume continued to type on her screen with the student's recent grades.

"Soharu," Aizawa tried again but this time, with her surname.

Ume merely pause only one nanosecond before continuing with her typing on the keyboard. This time, Aizawa really did sigh behind his bandages.

"Ume."

She flinched, finally turning to him with a slight frown but the light pink dusting over her cheeks canceled out any anger she had.

 _Who says he can say my first name?!_ Ume shouted internally.

Once he got her attention, Aizawa finally said the two words he had been too stubborn to say.

"I'm sorry."

Ume resisted the heat from rushing to her cheeks, turning away and hoping he would not see. She wasn't expecting him to apologize of all things! Usually, their arguments will simmer down after a few days and she would be the first to approach him. But this time, Aizawa was the one to apologize first and that—flustered her.

"I'll rest properly today. Will you finally stop ignoring me again?"

Despite the low, tired tone in his voice, Aizawa did truly sound apologetic. Ume raised a hand to her cheek, resting on it nonchalantly to hide the blush.

"It's fine," she muttered between her hand.

 _Whatever_ , Ume thought; _I'll let him off this time._

Her eyes settled back onto the screen, scanning over the name she had stopped at and turned to Aizawa fully.

"Why didn't you tell us you were related to Sasaki Ayame? Or Sasaki Yume?" Ume asked; now that their 'fight' had ended, she had been wondering about the controversies regarding Ayame since yesterday. Ume had been the one to volunteer and encourage Ayame to become the assistant without realizing she had ties with Class 1-A's homeroom teacher. How would that look on her end?

Aizawa shrugged. "It wasn't that important. The kids didn't want it to be known."

"It was fine with Yume-san," Ume sighed, "But the whole school knows about Ayame while she goes here."

"She seems to be handling it well," though Aizawa doubted Ayame ever had a time she would stay upset for more than two days.

"But _I'm_ not!" Ume groaned, "How would this reflect in the other students' and faculty member's eyes? What if they think I'm playing favorites because she's related to you? I truly did not know!"

Aizawa cracked a smile at Ume's confession, finding her situation slightly amusing as she continued to spiral out of her thoughts with her decision to choose his niece.

"I didn't realize you showed favoritism towards me," Aizawa leaned back onto the chair, purposely riling Ume up now that they were civil with each other again. "Why _did_ you choose that brat anyways?"

"She's not a brat, Aizawa," Ume corrected protectively, casually ignoring his previous statement. Still, she contemplated for a moment, thinking back to the two sisters she had taught before. "I remember Yume-san when she attended U.A. A straight A student, a class representative, and the student council president since her second year. She was nothing less than 'perfect' and made the word 'Sasaki' a fond name around the school."

Aizawa also remembered when Yume attended U.A. Everything Ume said was correct. Yume was the perfect model student they strived to have. She was never angry or upset and took a lot of roles by herself. With a powerful Quirk to back her up, Yume won two out of the three Sport Festival Tournaments during her years and was the most sought after sidekick before graduation. She was also friendly to everyone and he definitely remembered all the boys who had a crush on Yume.

"Ayame-san has a lot of potential," Ume continued, "But being in her sister's shadow has injured her confidence. She does not try as hard as she should. I thought being an assistant to you may spark her true joy in becoming a Hero again."

Aizawa could not say anything. He was not the one to question the sister's relationship and had never considered Ayame's feelings. Because that girl was always smiling and laughing, he just assumed she was just doing whatever she wanted without a care. But after listening to Ume's careful consideration towards her…

"Thanks, for looking after her."

Aizawa should try to learn more about his nieces, too.

* * *

Although Aizawa had dismissed their class for the day, Ayame stayed after school to train. Yume would not be done with her hero duties for another few hours and even then, it would not be guarantee Yume would be available to help.

Ayame stretched and headed towards the usual location. There was just a remote spot by the forest behind U.A. she enjoyed training at. It was peaceful and quiet with very few students around. Off in the distance, Ayame heard explosions going off and wondered if other students were training too.

"Ah, Ayame-san."

She looked up and saw her class representatives heading over. Takarada Noeru looked just as stoic as ever without bothering to spare her a glance. Meanwhile, the vice class representative was smiling as always, sky blue eyes twinkling under the sun.

"Hello, Yuu-kun!" Ayame greeted him brightly; she much preferred talking to him than the president. "Heading home?"

Shimizu Yuu: another prestigious boy with a powerful Quirk attending the same academy and class as Ayame. From the rumors she heard from the love struck girls in year two, even some in three, Yuu had been friends with Noeru since grade school. The Shimizu and Takarada family have known each other for generations and are business partners so seeing the two heirs interact was not odd.

However, Yuu was immensely friendlier than his best friend, Noeru. The boy would always have a pleasant smile on his face and was always helpful to their classmates. Ayame lost count on the endless love confessions he received yet for some reason, Yuu always rejected them. Still, that never deterred the girls from speaking with Yuu—especially when he has always been kind and allowed others to call him by his first name.

"Yes, we're going to my house to train for the upcoming Sports Festival," Yuu answered kindly although Takarada did not bother to stop. The other boy continued to brush past them and Yuu could only give an apologetic look towards Ayame's direction.

"Ohhh I see! Good luck in your training!" Ayame cheered.

"And you as well, Ayame-san."

A scoff can be heard from the front and they both turned to the dark haired boy. Takarada glanced behind him, crystal eyes looking down on Ayame mockingly.

"Don't even bother, Yuu. She wouldn't even make it to the tournament round."

"Why you—!"

Yuu held Ayame back carefully before she pounced on Takarada. The class president had always shown a…special treatment towards Ayame and Yuu could never figure out why. He knew for a fact Takarada disliked anyone and everyone but—Sasaki Ayame was a whole different case.

"Noeru, it may be different this year," Yuu pacified behind Ayame, his eyes narrowing slightly in warning towards the other male.

Takarada only rolled his eyes and left. Yuu can play friends with their classmates if he wants; Takarada wanted nothing to do with it.

"Sorry, Ayame-san," Yuu apologized and another kind smile was on his lips, "I hope to see you in the tournament this year."

Ayame sighed, releasing the anger and nodded her head. Just because Takarada doesn't know how to be nice doesn't mean she should take it out on Yuu.

"Count on it," Ayame grinned. "I don't know how you're able to stand him but you better go before he leaves you behind."

She jabbed a thumb in Takarada's direction and Yuu nodded his head, icy blue hair following the movement. With a wave, he ran after Takarada and Ayame focused back on her task.

Although she had won the team battles today, technically, Ayame did not contribute much…especially when she had Todoroki as her teammate. He basically won the four versus two by himself and even though Ayame had admired him for it, she realized she was…weak.

She can understand why Class 1-A was filled with potentials. The ones that stood out the most were Todoroki and Bakugo. Even Tokoyami was an ace card for them and Kaminari—even if Ayame had not seen his electricity yet, she heard plenty about it. No wonder Aizawa did not expel any students this year.

Ayame sighed, flopping down on the clearing to stare at the bright blue sky above.

 _Toko-kun was also the one to win our match, too_ , Ayame frowned.

She had relied on Bakugo's impulsiveness to focus on her only but it would not work twice. Bakugo was not completely wrong either; his Quirk would blow hers into shreds in the long run. For that match, she had relied heavily on Tokoyami to contain the other three but Bakugo would be able to win against Tokoyami, too. If he insisted on fighting her again, there's a high chance Ayame would not win.

Her arm reached up to shield her eyes, groaning out loud at her own shortcomings.

Disregarding her training with Class 1-A, what was she going to do with her _own_ class? There's a high chance she will compete against her classmates during the Sports Festivals and everyone knew each other's Quirks quite decently.

The two most troublesome Quirks of her class were…obviously the class representatives. The stupid class rep has a simple, but powerful Quirk. He can materialize gemstones from his body and reconstruct its composition to be sturdier than the average ones found in mines. Not only that, Takarada was able to manipulate existing gems and minerals from the ground at a massive rate.

Last year, Takarada Noeru had a stunning victory as the year one student. Shimizu Yuu had come in second, unsurprisingly, and two other strong opponents were in third place. Ayame didn't have the chance to show off nor was she able to join the tournament round. No wonder Takarada doesn't even put her in his eyes.

Ayame quickly got up, slapping her cheeks once to wake up. She can't give up now! This year will be different! This year, she will prove to herself and that stuck-up class president she can win!

* * *

 **A/N:**

I am so bad with fight scenes I am sorry. All of the teams are from a randomly generated group simulator based on their seating charts. I can't believe Todoroki made it onto the same team as Aya lol.

I drew a Todoroki x Ayame comic on my Tumblr ( **toomuchpineapples** )! I've been drawing a lot of art for those two lately and will slowly post them on my Tumblr. Please go check it out when you can! (The cover art for this story is drawn by me too!)

Reviews are much appreciated please!

P.S. I need to create more OCs to fill up Class 2-A. Any ideas or volunteers with theirs?


	7. Training with Class 1-A: Part 2

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Yume was thrilled to learn Ayame had managed to create two summons. If Ayame was not just as excited when she was explaining to Yume, she would have thought that Yume was the one that had her Quirk. Still, her older sister was thorough in training Ayame once she got home and Ayame listened dutifully. Although it was difficult to recreate the multiple summons as it required more time, she can create little creatures easily.

Ayame hummed to herself as she thought back to the training from yesterday. One hand was clutching a thermos with homemade soup inside while her other hand was playing with her little summons. The black trails fluttered around into two little butterflies flying around her fingers. As long as she continued to practice like this, it would be in no time for her to do more.

"Oji-san~"

Ayame knocked on the teacher's lounge and let the butterflies disappear, smiling when she saw her still-mummified uncle sitting at his desk. When she walked in, she noticed another teacher in the room talking to Aizawa but had stopped as soon as he noticed her. Ayame blinked her lilac eyes, bowing politely to the tall blonde man who appeared to be skinnier than a skeleton wearing an oversized suit.

"Oh, hello, sensei," Ayame smiled politely. She never saw him around before. Was he a new professor?

"What do you want?" Aizawa asked briskly.

She gasped. "How rude! I came all this way to deliver some homemade soup for you!" Ayame set the thermos on the table and put her hands on her hips proudly. "Yume-nee made it! And I helped!"

Aizawa eyed the thermos suspiciously. "Is it poisonous?"

"No!"

Seeing the pouty look on Ayame's face, Aizawa cracked a smile and nodded his head.

"Fine, I'll drink it but I'm holding you accountable if I get worse," Aizawa leaned back on his chair to tease.

"Okay but if you like it, you have to say I'm the best niece!"

"I'm not going to lie," Aizawa deadpanned.

Ayame gaped again and crossed her arms. "Worst uncle ever," she mumbled.

"Don't you have a class to go to?" Aizawa hurried her along.

"Oh yeah!" Aizawa gave her another glare and Ayame quickly bowed to the two of them. "I'll see you later, sensei! Ah! Don't forget to return my autograph book after All Might signs it!"

Ayame left with those parting words, rounding the corner and closing the door behind her. Toshinari laughed good heartedly after she was gone, turning to Aizawa with a small grin.

"So that was your niece? I remember seeing her during USJ as well," Toshinari mused. "And what's this about an autograph book?"

"Ahh, that's one of them," Aizawa confirmed. He looked through his drawers and pulled out a purple notebook, handing it to the blonde. "Mind signing it for her? She's a huge fan."

"It would be my pleasure," Toshinari grabbed the book and pen, flipping through the pages until it landed on an empty one. "She's got quite a collection though… Nightmare? That's a hero name I haven't seen in a long time."

"Ah, yeah," Aizawa said, "That's her mother; my sister."

"She's…" Toshinari started hesitantly, not wanting to press for further details but he had heard the rumors before.

"Out of commission indefinitely," Aizawa answered for him, "It's been ten years already. No need to be nervous."

Toshinari laughed lightly, closing the book after his signature and handed it back to Aizawa. Still, he remembered Nightmare from before; she was as headstrong and fierce like his master.

"Has it been that long already?"

"Her first daughter is already a hero," Aizawa answered again.

"Really?" Toshinari was surprised yet proud; Nightmare must have raised her daughters well.

"Yeah," Aizawa barely nodded, "I believe you know the hero 'LullaCry'."

"Oh!" Toshinari knocked on his palm in recognition, "No wonder her Quirk looked so familiar. Aizawa-kun, your family is filled with amazing heroes."

Aizawa shrugged. "They're alright."

Toshinari laughed again, bright and joyous for the future prospects of heroes. Remembering an old fellow hero that had worked with him before filled him with pride to see their children aspiring to be the same as them.

"If you get the chance," Aizawa started hesitantly, "Can you say hi to that brat? She really admires you."

"Of course," Toshinari smiled and grabbed the little purple notebook, "The best time would be for me to return this, no?"

"Class 2-A," Aizawa smiled beneath the bandages, "Thanks, All Might."

* * *

Ayame still had time to chat with her classmates when she arrived. Because she had the opportunity to be an assistant to the class All Might was teaching for, her classmates often asked about him. Unfortunately, Ayame still haven't met the Symbol of Peace one-to-one.

"Nooo," Ayame groaned, resting her head on the metal table, "I wanted to talk to All Might too!"

"W-what did the other students say about him?" One of her classmates, Usagi, asked curiously, long bunny ears twitching once.

Ayame perked up again, laughing as she replied, "They said he was an amateur teacher! I really want to see it!"

The students laughed with her, trying to imagine the heroic Super Hero be a teacher to rowdy teenagers. The conversation slowly shifted to the Class 1-A students and the recent attack at USJ, Ayame endlessly complimenting them.

"They're so strong…! Especially these two, one with an incredible ice Quirk and another has an explosion Quirk! There's also a fearless one which I think is just adorable and another classmate has like, a shadow, living in him!"

Ayame was excited as she described a few Quirks she had seen. Some of her classmates paid close attention, taking the information in with wide eyes as she continued to talk.

"Aizawa-sensei had me fight against half of them yesterday and we're finishing up today!" Ayame grinned, puffing her chest out as she continued, "And of course, I won against them."

"Good luck, Ayame-chan!" Hotaru cheered.

"If you're so interested in 1-A, why don't you just join their class?"

Ayame whirled around, glaring at the class representative though Takarada looked bored in return. Yuu was smiling apologetically again but Ayame was not focused on him this time.

"What? Are you jealous you weren't chosen for the assistant role?" Ayame retorted back.

"Here they go again," someone sighed from the side, crimson eyes looking at them like the rest of the class.

"If I was ever jealous," Takarada narrowed his eyes against hers, "It would never be because of you."

"Noeru, that's enough," Yuu tried to pacify as always but the dark haired boy merely scoffed.

"I'm just saying if she's so invested in Class 1-A, maybe Sasaki should be held back a year. She will fit in just right," he smirked.

Ayame stood up abruptly, nearly causing the chair to fall down while Hotaru held onto her hand. Her eyes were glaring right into crystal ones and Ayame hated how Takarada always seem to go out of his way to provoke her.

"Takarada, I swear—"

" **Here I am!"**

Everyone stopped when the classroom door slammed open. The loud, familiar voice echoed in their ears when a large man entered with his trademark grin. Ayame's jaws dropped as she stared at the teacher, her argument forgotten.

"All…Might!"

"Yes," All Might gave the classroom a peace sign, "I am here to visit Class 2-A! And also…" He rummaged through his grey blazer and pulled out a familiar purple notebook, "To return this!"

"That's mine!" Ayame gasped and hopped over, rushing over to stand before the hero with sparkles in her eyes, "D-did oji-san ask you to sign it?"

"Yup," All Might still had the grin on as he handed the book back to Ayame.

She was star struck by the hero, not once leaving her eye contact with him and All Might laughed again when he remembered young Midoriya acting the same when they first met.

"I also want to thank you for helping me at USJ, Young Ayame. I know it must have been difficult during that time but you will turn out to be fine hero like your family," All Might set a large hand over her shoulder in assurance.

Ayame froze, mentally screaming in excitement that All Might knew her _name_ , and paused when he mentioned her family. Right, Aizawa would have told him who she was related to in passing and she remembered her mother working with All Might before. The encouragement All Might had given her was more than what Ayame could ever ask for in her admired hero. She could only grin back proudly, determined to live up to his expectations.

"Un, I definitely will! One day, I will fight alongside you!" Ayame declared.

There was a slight pause with All Might, inwardly contemplating his current troublesome status but he cannot let it show. Aizawa's niece and the rest of the classmates were looking at him with such awestruck silence as the Symbol of Peace that he cannot let any weakness known. Instead, All Might let out a hearty laugh.

"Ohoho! That will be the day!" All Might turned to the rest of the class then, "Work hard, everyone! Until next time!"

Just like that, All Might dashed away as fast as he came. The majority of the classmates and passing students were staring at his back. Ayame clutched the notebook close to her chest, feeling super giddy and excited to see All Might _personally_ deliver the _signed_ notebook to her. She flipped open the page, grinning even more to see All Might's signature take over two pages and—a small comment in the corner added on.

 _You will be a hero!_

Ayame nearly screamed. This was the best day ever! Not even the stupid class pres can ruin her mood!

And as expected, she turned around to look at him. Takarada had a stunned expression on his face—an expression that Ayame had never seen before because he's always been cold and emotionless like the rock he was. Seeing the faint spark of admiration in his eyes looking towards the spot All Might was, Ayame felt her ego swell up even more.

She hopped back to her desk happily, grinning at Takarada when he turned his attention back to her and she can nearly see the _fire_ light up in his eyes. Oh, this was just too good to pass up.

"Well, you heard the mighty Symbol of Peace, All Might," Ayame deliberately pronounced every syllable slowly; "I will be a _wonderful_ hero before you know it."

Takarada nearly corrected her, saying that All Might only said 'fine' but stopped himself. He's not going to boost her ego and he's definitely not going to stoop to her level. But still, a hard glare was in his crystal eyes as he stood up to tower over her. Ayame may be tall but, he was taller.

"Just wait until the Sports Festival," Takarada threatened lowly, "I'll show everyone how _capable_ you are."

Ayame matched his glare straightforwardly. She's not one to back down from a challenge and especially not from him!

"Don't worry," she smirked, "I'll beat your pretty face out of the arena."

Everyone could only watch from the side with a sigh. Just when they thought these two would stop their childish arguments from their first year, they began again one week later into the school year! Ayame was not the type to confront anyone and Takarada usually ignores everyone else but—together, it was like an intense rivalry they cannot get in between.

Yuu merely kept the smile up, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth from laughing. Takarada never considered him (or anyone for that matter) a rival of some sort and yet seeing him so riled up against Ayame was far too entertaining. His icy eyes sharpened just the slightest, smile turning into a smirk behind his hand as he focused on the brunette.

 _This year's Sports Festival is going to be interesting._

* * *

"That damned class pres!" Ayame cursed at lunch, ripping a piece of meat from her drumstick in anger, "Who does he think he is?! Acting all high and mighty! Just because he won last year's tournament, is the heir to his company, has a formidable Quirk, and has a pretty face, does not mean he can just bully anyone!"

Hotaru watched Ayame rant, pausing in her eating to smile helpless at her friend. It wasn't unusual for Ayame to rant after the encounter and she does deserve a reason to but…why does it sound like she's complimenting him? The things she listed were all true; Takarada Noeru _kinda_ do deserve to act a little haughty but…why was it only towards Ayame?

"C-calm down, Aya-chan," Hotaru comforted, "You know Takarada-san is only saying that to make you mad," she offered a small box of cookies towards the brunette, "Here! This will cheer you up!"

Ayame blinked at the cookies, sighing as she gave Hotaru a grin.

"You're the best, Hotaru-chan! What would I do without you?"

Hotaru merely giggled.

"Good afternoon, Ayame-senpai!"

A few cheery voiced appeared behind her and soon, the seats nearby was taken. Ayame turned to see a nearly half of 1-A students seated and smiled at Midoriya, Ochako, Iida, Sero, Kaminari, and…a floating plate? Wait not—Hagakure! Oh! There's also Ashido, Tsuyu, and Ojiro!

"Ah yes, now that my adorable kouhais are here I won't need to think about that stupid—"

"Did you say Takarada earlier—as in, Takarada _Noeru-_ kun?!" Ashido wiggled around in her seat happily, alien gold eyes excited to stare at the two upperclassmen.

Ayame immediately groaned and would have slammed her head on the table if not for the food in the way. Hotaru smiled helplessly again.

"H-he and A-Ayame-chan…don't get along well…" Hotaru explained.

"How do you guys even know him? He's not even in the same grade!" Ayame was exasperated.

"How can we not?!" Hagakure joined in on the cheer, her uniform waving around excitedly next to Ojiro. "He and Shimizu Yuu-kun are the 'Two Princes' of U.A.! They have it all! Looks, fame, power…"

Hagakure drifted off to sigh dreamily with Ashido, leaving Ochako to laugh at her female classmates. Ayame was thankful Ochako and Tsuyu were the more sensible girls of them.

"I'm gonna barf," Kaminari stopped eating; "I only came because I wanted to strategize with senpai for later."

"I-I would also l-like to review," Midoriya spoke up hesitantly.

"Hey now, that would be considered fraternizing with the enemy," Sero laughed, "Are you trying to spy, Midoriya?"

"N-n-no-n-no! I-I-I was only—I wanted—I—"

Ayame laughed, deeply grateful for these distractions and waved her hand. "It's fine, it's fine! I much prefer talking about the training!"

The girls drifted off into their own conversation while Ayame turned to her teammates. From the side, she noticed Hotaru to be easing into the conversation with the 1-A girls but was still blushing lightly when Iida sat next to her. Ayame merely shrugged and turned back to the boys in excitement.

"Well since you all know each other's Quirks, explain them to me! You know mine fairly well too!" Ayame bargained.

"Class 1-A have a third amazing Quirk user besides Bakugo and Todoroki, you know," Kaminari flipped his blonde hair, grinning as he said, "And that would be—"

"Midoriya," Sero finished and Kaminari's jaw opened in disbelief.

"No way! It's totally—"

"Midoriya-chan's Quirk is quite powerful, I've seen him create a whirlpool in USJ," Tsuyu interjected.

"I-I-it's n-not th-that b-big of a d-deal," Midoriya waved it off shyly.

"Ohhhh," Ayame echoed in amazement, turning towards the shy boy nearly shrinking in his seat. "Ah! But, didn't you break your bones because of it?"

Midoriya nodded his head, moss green hair falling into his eyes. "I-I'm not…very good at controlling it yet."

Ayame reached over to pat his shoulder. "It's okay! You don't have to use it against me!"

Ojiro laughed. "Senpai, are you trying to convince Midoriya to forfeit?"

"Hey, I'm just trying to weed out the competition," Ayame said righteously.

They shared a laugh with each other, happy to have such an easy-going upperclassman and continued to talk about their Quirks. They also ended up reviewing the battles from yesterday, causing Hagakure to break out of her conversation with the girls to groan towards them.

"Don't remind me! That's my second time fighting Todoroki-kun and it's painful every time!" Hagakure waved her sleeves around again.

"That's a Quirk to be envious of though," Ayame sighed. A perfect control over ice, continuous large-scale attacks, what can't he do? Ayame thought Todoroki was simply hero material with power and brains to match.

 _Though it wouldn't hurt if he learns to smile a bit_ , Ayame thought.

"I-I think y-your Quirk is i-im-impressive too…senpai," Midoriya quietly added.

She blinked, lilac eyes staring at dark green ones before he turned away. Ayame grinned, finding him simply _adorable_ and laughed.

"Thanks, Deku-kun but against those powerhouses, I'm not sure what I could do," Ayame popped a cookie in her mouth, "Besides, Totoro-kun was the one that won yesterday's match. I didn't really do anything."

There was a distant look in her eyes as she recalled yesterday's event. Although her tone was light and casual, Midoriya wondered if there was more than what Ayame let on. She quickly recovered, putting on a bright smile towards her kouhais.

"Let's do our best this afternoon, okay?"

"Yes!"

Off to the side, Ashido was asking Hotaru animatedly about 2-A's class representatives. Even Ochako looked interested in the two rumored 'princes'. Besides the fact that they were very attractive and are heirs to their family company, not much was known about them.

"I heard Shimizu-san is very friendly to everyone! Ne, do you think he will say hi to me if I waved?" Ashido asked.

"O-oh, yes, Yuu-kun is kind to everyone," Hotaru confirmed, "B-b-but T-takarada-san is a little harder to approach."

"A little?" Ayame scoffed, "That rock doesn't even know how to smile."

A low chuckle could be heard behind her and the students in front of Ayame stiffened. Ayame's eyebrows furrowed together and felt an ominous presence behind her. Sure enough, Yuu was laughing quietly to himself while Takarada's eyes look like they can murder.

"Rest assured, Sasaki, you won't ever see the grace of one from me," Takarada declared and walked away.

Yuu chuckled again, smiling to the students before following his friend. "Bye-bye, Ayame-san, Hotaru-san, and everyone."

Ayame snapped out of her daze once they left, first clenching together in frustration.

"That—stupid class pres!"

* * *

Ayame was still fuming a little after lunch. The girls had praised the guys again once they left, surprised that the two 'princes' even walked by at all—and even called her name! So what?! Ayame was their classmate—but that doesn't mean she gets along with one of them! She must really advise her female kouhais if all they cared about were looks. Yuu was an exception but Takarada, he was a fixer upper.

At that time, she crossed path with another student. His white hero uniform and ice stood out amongst the buildings and Ayame perked up, hopping over to Todoroki who looked like he hadn't even notice her.

"Totoro-kun!"

Ayame appeared in front of him and nearly startled the boy. The words she thought to say got stuck in her throat as she peered at him closely, humming to herself despite Todoroki narrowing his eyes at her.

What the hell was she doing?

"When you get older, you should try to smile more too," Ayame reached a suitable conclusion and nodded to herself, "Don't be a jerk like a certain senpai!"

With that, Ayame hopped away again, satisfied to have warned him. After all, Todoroki does have a pretty face himself but—she must guide him before he goes down the same path as Takarada! She's sure Todoroki will be more popular with the girls if he smiled, too!

 _Hah?_

Todoroki watched his upperclassman skip away with perplexed eyes. What was that supposed to mean?

For today's training exercise, Aizawa instructed them to meet outside in the fields rather than the gym. Ayame still wore her gym uniform and stretched, waving to the other students that had already arrived. She saw Kaminari off to the side and headed over towards him.

"Yo, Kaminari-kun!" The blonde turned around to wave back, "Are you ready?"

"Yup," Kaminari grinned, "Like I said, I'll win this easily for you, senpai!"

Ayame hummed, not believing him in the slightest and he nearly cried out in unfairness. He was strong too!

Soon, the rest of the students and Aizawa arrived to the field. His dark eyes surveyed everyone, nodding to himself that everyone was here and prepared for the match.

"The gym is still being repaired from yesterday so we'll settle for outside," he explained briefly. "Team Ayame and Kaminari VS Kirishima, Koda, Asui, and Uraraka."

Kaminari cracked his knuckles, focusing on the other four opponents with a wild grin.

"Senpai, it would be best if can find a way to fly away," he whispered, _I'll just be as cool as Todoroki!_

Ayame blinked in confusion but nodded her head, smiling as black smoke emitted from her body. Well, maybe she can see what he planned to do first.

"Begin!"

A large bird appeared below her and Ayame hopped on without wasting a second. Kaminari was already charging electricity, his hair spiking up even more from the discharge. On the other side, Ochako immediately pulled her teammates together.

"One million volts!"

"Woah!"

Ayame flew up higher and gained a bird's eye view over the field. The electricity crackled beneath them but when she looked up, Ochako and the others were floating along with her. She was stunned; how can they fly?! When the electricity cleared, Kaminari was staggering on stage, his eyes were dazed and drool leaking from the corner of his lips.

"There it is; his signature move!" Jirou laughed loudly from the sideline, pointing towards the stupefied Kaminari.

 _He…he didn't hit anyone!_ Ayame screamed.

At that time, Koda propelled Kirishima forward while they were still in the air. Tsuyu waddled around with Ochako but her pink tongue was aimed towards Kaminari. Ayame motioned for the bird to descend quickly and managed to intercept Tsuyu's tongue before she can wrap around her teammate. The bird transformed into a large kitsune next, its jaws biting on the tongue to keep it steady while Ayame rushed to Kaminari.

"Ahhh, you dummy! If you knew this was going to happen, why did you try to show off?!" Ayame shook him.

"Whee?" Kaminari tilted his head, bringing two thumbs forward and Ayame scream again.

"Release!"

"Hyah!"

Kirishima crashed into the ground in his harden form, arms swinging at the kitsune to release Tsuyu. The summon jumped back and Tsuyu followed, not wanting to rip her tongue out. Ayame did not bother with Kaminari anymore and pushed him behind her, focusing on Kirishima charging towards them. From the side, Koda seemed to be focused on something while Ochaka was hunched over, one hand clutched on her stomach and another over her mouth. Ayame didn't have time to think about that now.

"No hard feelings, senpai!" Kirishima shouted and stabbed the fox.

However, the fox didn't disappear as he expected, red eyes wide in alarm while Ayame smirked. She raised her arm up and one of the nine tails moved to swipe Kirishima back.

"One point taken from Kirishima," Aizawa announced as the referee.

"No way!"

The kitsune tugged and jumped back from Kirishima. Still trapped in the fox's jaws, Tsuyu jumped forward to recline her tongue back. She landed on the kitsune's head and much like a frog and aimed a hard kick to its face. The fox finally let go but not before turning around again, large tails moved to swat her away.

"One point taken from Asui."

"Go, go, senpai! You can do this all alone!" Ashido cheered.

 _But I don't want to!_ Ayame cried in her mind.

Multiple chirps could be heard behind her and Kaminari's dazed 'whees' followed. She turned around, gaping at dozens of little sparrows trying to drag the boy off stage. Her eyes focused on Koda again and saw his mouth moving rapidly.

"One point taken from Kaminari."

"Ahhh!" This time, Ayame did scream and rushed over to her teammate.

"I kinda feel bad for her…" Sato whispered from the audience.

Ayame gritted her teeth. Whatever! She can't allow her kouhais to pity her! She should be able to handle something like this or else how can she prove that she's better?!

 _I need something bigger—stronger!_

Ayame crouched down, her hands focused on the ground and more smoke emitted from her body. The kitsune returned back to her side and absorbed the smoke. Slowly, the fox continued to grow, and grow, and grow. Soon, it turned to a giant size nearly as big as a building.

"H-hey…this is kinda cheating, isn't it?!" Kirishima shouted.

One of the tails brought Kaminari into its body, shooing the birds away from the ring and Ayame remained crouched. Once she saw her teammate to be safe, she raised her hand again, the fox's paw following her movement. The ghostly paw slammed down on the ground, dust and gravel flying outwards from the power.

Kirishima withstood the attacks in his hardened form but Ochako was blown away. Koda grabbed onto Tsuyu's waist while the girl whipped her tongue towards Kirishima to steady them.

"Uraraka is out of bounds."

"Nooo," Ochako weakly groaned from the side, brown eyes looking towards the stage in discontent. Iida and Midoriya went over to help her, patting her back in assurance.

"Tch," Bakugo clicked his tongue, "Why didn't she do that while fighting against me?!"

"Oi, oi, we can't give up now!" Kirishima encouraged. Koda was cowering behind him from the giant summon while Tsuyu was trying to comfort her teammate. All three of them looked towards the giant kitsune and gulped.

 _I need to end this soon. It's already giving me a headache_ , Ayame clutched her head and while it was sore, it didn't hurt as it should. A small ray of hope formed in her; maybe she's gaining a resistance towards it.

The fox lowered its head and Ayame weakly got on. Kaminari was lying down inside the belly but he was safe. The kitsune raised its head again and ran forward towards the other three. It stopped just short of them and with a swing of its body, the tails knocked around the three.

Kirishima stayed harden and attacked the first few tails, able to dissipate them from his sheer power but his Quirk started to weaken by the fourth. Koda threw Tsuyu upward towards Ayame but the fox moved its neck, blocking her advance. Tsuyu's tongue wrapped around one of its ears and used the momentum to swing upwards. She maneuvered her body around as she got above Ayame, aiming down to kick her off the mount and—succeeded.

"One point taken from Ayame," Aizawa announced but his eyes were focused on his niece, watching as she fell off the mount yet—she wasn't making any movement to stop it.

Her ribs ached from the kick and her head continued to pound but she couldn't understand what was going on around her. Ayame just felt a rush of air from below before something soft caught her. Her eyes slowly opened, not knowing when she had them closed in the first place, and saw that she had landed on one of the tails.

 _Huh? Did I command it?_ Ayame questioned but couldn't remember anything from the past few seconds.

The kitsune shook its head to wave Tsuyu off and she ran to avoid him. Ayame narrowed her eyes against the three of them; it's time to end this. She pointed towards the opponents, a silent command for the kitsune. It dashed forward and with the rest of its six tails, it swallowed the three of them. It flicked its tail from the side, throwing them out of the ring effortlessly.

"Team Ayame and Kaminari wins."

As soon as she heard the announcement, the kitsune disappeared. Ayame collapsed on her knees, breathing deeply as she clutched her head and sighed.

"Senpai!"

A few students gathered around, various eyes peering down on Ayame's form. She blinked at the shadows surrounding her and straightened up, giving them a reassuring smile and thumbs up.

"I'm okay!"

Jirou went over to the still dazed Kaminari, smacking him in the head lightly with a scowl.

"How disappointing! You left Ayame-senpai to fight for herself!" Jirou scolded.

The blonde turned to Ayame then and she could see his watery eyes.

"S-sorry, se-senpai," Kaminari barely managed to sputter out.

"Ahhh Kaminari-kun, you need to work on your Quirk a little more," Ayame giggled. _He reminds me of a little pichu._

"Gero, senpai, were you hiding that special move?" Tsuyu recovered and hopped over to them.

"Yeah! That scared the crap outta me!" Kirishima chimed in.

"Oi—you better do that again when we battle!" Somehow, Bakugo also joined in on the conversation and Ayame mentally sweated. She didn't know what she did exactly!

"Ayame, can you continue?" Aizawa asked from the podium.

Ayame turned to her uncle, thinking for one second before grinning. The headaches usually never last for long. She can handle another battle or so.

"Yesss! I'll be fine!" She waved.

Aizawa nodded. "Ashido, Midoriya, Sato, and Aoyama VS Ayame and Sero."

"Hm hmm, it's finally the dazzling—"

"Whoo finally!" Ashido cheered, cutting off any words Aoyama was planning to say, "I wanted to give it a shot, too!"

"Good luck, Deku-kun!" Ochako cheered, "You too, senpai!"

"T-t-thank you, U-uraraka-san!" Midoriya blushed before turning towards his two opponents, "L-let's have a good match!"

Ayame clapped her hands, turning to Sero as they both head upstage. She shook off the light bruises and brushed back her bangs, preparing herself for another mental strain.

"This match may be a bit tricky," Sero whispered, "Both Aoyama and Ashido have long range Quirks while Sato and Midoriya are close range."

She tilted her head and motioned towards the shining knight and pink alien. "What are their Quirks, exactly?"

"Ashido produces acid and Aoyama has a navel laser. He gets terrible stomach aches if he uses it too much, however," Sero snickered.

Ayame nodded dutifully and thought up of an idea, her eyes sparkling in Sero's direction. "Then we'll play the hit-and-run tactic! At least tire Aoyama-kun out. And—we can always lure their attacks to their teammates!"

"Wow…" Sero blinked at his upperclassman, "You're quite ruthless, senpai."

Ayame pumped her fists together. "It's strategy, Sero-kun!"

"Oiii! Are you guys done whispering yet!" Ashido called out from the stage.

"Yes~"Ayame sang back and both of them stepped into the ring.

"Same rules as before," Aizawa said, "Begin!"

"Here we go!" Ashido began to run forward.

"You can't outshine me!" Aoyama posed and fired his navel laser.

Ayame and Sero separated. Midoriya was off to the side as he studied his two opponents and Sato pulled out his sugar reserves. Sato bulked up within seconds and Ayame's eyes widened at the size. She had considered fighting close combat but not anymore!

Ashido was flinging spots of poison towards Ayame while Aoyama was focused on Sero. She dodged to the side of the poison, gulping when she saw the acid melt through the top layer of the ground and turned back to Ashido nervously.

 _Ahhh I wish I had my cape now! I can't get hit by that!_

There was no time for regret when the pink girl launched another attack. Tired of running and decided she had recuperated enough; Ayame imagined the same bird from the previous round and hopped on. A flying target would be harder to hit than a ground one. Even if her bird summon was not as strong as her kitsune or ookami, it should still be enough to dodge.

"Try to catch me now!" Ayame taunted.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Although Ayame was flying around, she was very aware of her surroundings. Midoriya has yet to join the fight while Sato and Aoyama were trying to pin down Sero. She flew over to the two boys, trying to get Ashido to slip up and hit her teammates as she chased her.

"Ashido-san—don't!"

Midoriya's warning came too late.

Ayame dodged from the acid at the last second, her figure revealing Sato to be right behind her. The bulky boy noticed the danger approaching and jumped back but the poison still grazed his arm. Sato howled from the pain and in his distress bumped into Aoyama. The blonde toppled over from the pain and clutched his stomach tightly.

"Mm! Non!" Aoyama cried.

"Wah—sorry, Aoyama!" Sato apologized hurriedly.

"One point taken from Aoyama and Sato."

"What? That counted?" Ashido gasped, "Sorry, Sato-kun, Aoyama-kun!"

"D-don't try to chase them! They're luring you to hit each other!" Midoriya shouted after witnessing the accident. Ayame may still be trying to recover from the last battle so he has no fear of her summoning the giant creature again. Still, she has proven to be a worthy opponent and upperclassman and the fact that she can still call upon _something_ was not beneficial to them.

"Eh? Figure us out already?" Ayame tilted her head yet a playful smile was on her lips. "Then it's time to get serious!"

The bird reverted back into black smoke and Ayame ran forward. The smoke trails began to take form again as she pushed herself to imagine and think—forcing the images from her mind to come to life and go beyond her limit. Two wolves appeared on either side of her, this time more prominent and big as all three of them ran forward.

Seeing the approaching danger, Midoriya stepped out in front of his teammates. He raised one hand forward, index finger pulled back to aimed towards Ayame. Without giving her a chance, Midoriya flicked his finger once she was in range and suddenly—Ayame was blown back.

"AHHH!"

Her summons disappeared all together and she was flying through the air. How was she able to be twenty feet off the ground?! How can Midoriya produce such strength?! Even if he didn't attack her straight on—this shockwave was painful enough!

"Senpai!"

Sero thrust his arm outwards, a long shot of tape left his elbow towards Ayame. She saw the approaching tape and grasped it tightly, wincing when she felt thin cuts open on her arms from the shockwave. Ayame landed safely thanks to Sero's help and she kneeled down again, trying to catch her breath. Long strands of brunette hair fell over her shoulders and she hadn't realized her bun had come undone.

"One point taken from Ayame."

"Ahhh, Deku-kun, are you trying to kill me?" Ayame sighed. Just one more second—then she will get up and fight again.

"S-so-sorry, s-se-se-senpai! I-I d-didn't mean to-!"

Ayame waved it off, a thin trail of blood dripped from her arms. Well, she can't expect to _not_ get hurt. She just wasn't expecting how _powerful_ Midoriya's Quirk was. It was almost the same as when All Might fought that Nomu.

"I'll be bait again," Ayame whispered to Sero and pushed herself to her feet. "Capture Aoyama-kun first when they're distracted."

Sero eyed the blood but said nothing about it. If his senpai insisted on finishing the battle first then they can worry about injuries after. He reeled the tape back into his elbow and Ayame readied another stance. This time, she didn't bother with flashy summons and stuck with her trusty ookami. As soon as it appeared, she hopped on and rushed forward.

"Here they come again!" Ashido flung spots of acid in her direction.

The ookami swerved left and right to dodge. Even if it was somehow hit by the acid, Ayame quickly repaired the smoke trails before the summon disappeared. Aoyama was unable to keep fighting in his condition, barely able to stand in the first place while Midoriya was clutching onto the hand with the broken finger. Sato was the one to stand before them and pulled his arm back to a punch.

Ayame jumped off as soon as Sato punched her wolf, flipping to the middle of the group and surprising them all. Sato whirled around in an attempt to capture her but Ayame shoved Aoyama his way. With such close distance, Ashido did not dare to risk using her poison around her teammates and tried to fight Ayame in close combat.

She ducked as soon as she saw Midoriya aimed to punch her, light brown hair flying in the wind and Ayame slammed her hands down. The lingering black smoke from the dissipated ookami swirled around her and Midoriya rushed to pull Ashido back. A large paw formed, then a long snout, and familiar nine tails swiped at everyone's feet.

Aoyama fell on Sato and Sero took that chance to tie the two together with his tape. He ran forward to assist Ayame when Midoriya and Ashido were focused on her. Sero can clearly see how tired Ayame was and hoped he was quick enough to reach his senpai; he wasn't sure how much longer she can last.

"Please dodge, s-senpai!" Forced in a pinch, Midoriya pulled back his middle finger.

From their close proximity, there was a high chance Ayame would be severely injured again. The hit from last time only gave her thin flesh wounds but her stamina had been depleted. If she took a full hit from that blast—who knows what could happen?!

Instead of running away, the fox grew in size again. The black trails strengthened together and Sero launched his tape right as Midoriya released his hit. Mirodiya and Ashido recoiled back from the sheer power and landed right into the tape retraining them. However, the blast was still launched and everyone turned to Ayame.

The large kitsune swallowed the shockwave but the body began to expand. Ayame gasped, her head pounding in pain once more as she stayed in her kneeled position. One lilac eye glanced upwards to see her strong kitsune force back from the blast but—it was futile. The fox disappeared and the remaining shockwave hit her again.

"GAH!"

"Someone—catch her!" Aizawa shouted, startling the whole class by the sheer panic in his voice.

He cursed himself he wasn't well enough to move, cursed himself for being injured because he currently can't guarantee his niece's safety. Aizawa had seen Ayame push herself the past few days and secretly, he was _proud_ of her progress. Truthfully, he had wanted to stop the battles after the last match but he wanted to see just how far Ayame was willing to try again.

However, now he regretted not stopping the battle midway. His niece was nearly on the verge of losing conscience and—she's still flying through the air!

Sero attempted to use his tape again but nothing would come out from his elbow. Ochako ran forward, tapping her fingers over Iida and the tall boy burst forward. However, Iida was on the whole other side of the field while Ayame was flying the opposite direction. She appeared to not have noticed anything, eyes closed and body limp in the air.

Suddenly, a large iceberg shot up in the middle of the grass field. Todoroki stood back up on the ice and reached his hands out to grab onto Ayame. He pulled her body towards him but her momentum caused them both to tumble forward from the iceberg. He cursed once and used his left hand to steady the girl while the right hand swiped mid-air to create an ice slide.

"Todoroki-san, right here!"

Below, Yaoyorozu created a large trampoline on the bottom of the slide at the right time. Todoroki slid onto the trampoline, bouncing lightly from the momentum but hands still clutched Ayame tightly. Once they were safe, everyone let out a sigh of relief and the brunette stirred.

Ayame felt something warm against her cheek; it was slightly hard yet soft but comfortable. She nearly snuggled closer but stopped herself, forcing lilac eyes to open from the sudden wave of headache. She saw heterochromia eyes of grey and turquoise first, white and red hair falling over his face as Todoroki let out a barely audible sigh.

"Am I dead?" Ayame closed her eyes again.

"Ayame-senpai!"

She grunted when suddenly, many arms attacked her in a startling hug. Ayame was pulled away from Todoroki and, based on the endless pain she felt all over her body, she was _not_ dead.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Yaoyorozu sighed in relief.

"You scared Aizawa-sensei really bad!" Kirishima said.

"You were just as worried too, Kirishima-chan," Tsuyu pointed out.

"I-I'm so, so, so-so, so sorry, senpai!" Midoriya brushed past his classmates to get on his knees to bow before her. He was ignoring his broken fingers, tears brimmed the corner of his eyes as he saw the unruly state of his upperclassman.

Ayame got up with the help of Ochaka and motioned for her to set her down next to Midoriya. A playful smile was on her lips as she ruffled Midoriya's fluffy green hair, causing him to look up with teary emerald eyes.

"Why are you apologizing? Your power is so cool, Deku-kun!" Ayame complimented loudly, "Ahhh! It wasn't your fault! You did warn me to dodge!"

"B-but, but, but…!"

"No 'but's!" Ayame waved her finger, "If you're still sorry, you can help me to the nurse's office. I think we both need some rest."

She grimaced at the purple and black fingers on Midoriya's right hand, wondering again _how_ he managed to survive so far with his Quirk. Ayame hated pain and doubted she would be able to push her body to such limits if she were in his shoes.

Midoriya wiped the tears away and nodded his head. He got up quickly and helped Ayame up as well. Ayame avoided his broken fingers and put an arm around his shoulders as he supported her.

"Ah, oji-san! You were worried?" Ayame remembered to tease and forgo the formalities to call her uncle.

"Don't faint next time," Aizawa walked towards them but everyone could feel the glare he directed at Ayame.

Feeling cheeky, Ayame grinned and rubbed her tangled hair.

"Can't promise anything!" Remembering something, Ayame turned to her uncle one more time. "Oh right! Who won the last match?"

Realizing that Aizawa didn't announce the results, everyone's eyes turned towards the teacher.

"Team Ayame and Sero won."

Ayame cheered and waved to Sero happily.

" _But_ , you still lost for getting hit twice. You're lucky you had Sero as a teammate," Aizawa reprimanded.

She gulped, feeling nervous all again by the sad truth and turned to the dark haired boy sheepishly.

"Thank you, Sero-kun! B-but it was a team effort, right?" Ayame attempted to justify.

"Y-yeah," Sero replied.

Ayame and Midoriya began to walk away, leaving the rest of the class behind. Sero was still watching their upperclassman's back, wondering to himself why Ayame dismissed her efforts so easily.

"But...you know," Sero began quietly, "I wouldn't have won without Ayame-senpai. She did majority of the fight…"

Everyone quietly agreed.

Bakugo clicked his tongue and turned around, the fire disappearing from his hands. He had almost been the one to fly out to catch that damn senpai but the half-and-half got there first. His crimson eyes studied the said boy, watching Todoroki flex his hands and walked away.

Tch, whatever! He didn't care anyways!

* * *

"Ahhh, man! Your Quirk is so powerful, Deku-kun!" Ayame sighed as she said to the shorter boy, "It's a shame you get hurt every time though!"

Midoriya blushed lightly from their close proximity and nodded his head. He knew his upperclassman was very friendly and talkative so he expected her to say something during their trip. He was still unprepared to be so close with her, however.

"Y-yours is strong too, senpai," Midoriya said again.

He really believed it. Since he first witnessed her powers, Midoriya had been jotting down notes regarding her Quirk. Ayame hadn't elaborated on her Quirk and from what it looks like; she still does not know the full extent of it. It reminded Midoriya of himself; she has a Quirk too powerful that her body could not keep up with.

"It's alright," Ayame scrunched up her nose, "I'm not utilizing its full potential, apparently. It's always so random whether they disappear or not."

Midoriya peeked at her shyly, gathering up the courage to speak.

"I-if you do-don't mind, senpai! I-I'd would l-like to help y-you with your Quirk!"

He ducked his head, dark green hair falling into his eyes as he waited for her reaction. Ayame paused, lilac eyes blinking in his direction before her lips turned up into a grin. He's so adorable!

"You'd do that for me, Deku-kun?" Ayame asked excitedly and tugged her arm around his shoulders tighter, "You're the best!"

Midoriya blushed furiously when Ayame shook them both. He thought his senpai was really…excitable but—it wasn't unpleasant. Even he found her antics funny and even—charming at times. He could understand why his fellow classmates enjoyed talking with her.

"Oh my, Ayame-san?"

At that time, a familiar voice reached their ears. Both of them looked up to see two tall boys walking their way. Classes should still be in session now so they hadn't seen anyone in the hallway. Ayame, however, stiffened at the sight of her class representatives.

Why was he everywhere today?!

"What happened?" Yuu looked shocked by her injured state. Takarada spared them a glance, eyes settling on their joined body once before looking away.

"Just some training," Ayame answered Yuu lightly. She noticed the stacks of papers they were holding and figured they must have some student council stuff to take care of. "We're heading to Recovery Girl now!"

"Mm," Yuu nodded his head in agreement, his gentle smile resurfacing, "Take care of your body. The days leading up to the festival are very crucial."

"Yup!" Ayame mentally sighed, wondering again how sweet-kind-caring Yuu-kun was friends with a rock.

"Let's go," this time, Takarada didn't bother to acknowledge her and led the way. Yuu gave them another smile and both walked off.

Ayame began to walk too but Midoriya seemed to be frozen still. She glanced down at him to see his dazed expression glancing at the two class representatives and she nearly groaned.

"Don't tell me you're interested in them too!" Ayame gasped.

Midoriya turned back to the girl and blushed furiously again. He waved his free hand 'no' rapidly and continued their way to the nurse's office.

"N-no I-I thought—" Midoriya looked down shyly, "I-I can't believe I was able to see them again. T-their victory during last year's U.A. Sports Festival was amazing to watch."

Ayame pouted. _That sounded like he's interested!_

Midoriya glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, silently deciding to keep the second statement to himself. He wanted to ask why Ayame was not in the tournament last year when she was so strong but when he remembered the two upperclassmen arguing, he figured it was not a topic Ayame wanted to talk about.

They arrived to the nurse's office with no more interruptions. Recovery Girl looked shocked by their injuries and with a simple kiss, Ayame healed. Midoriya's broken fingers were next but the nurse looked disappointed in the younger boy's direction. Meanwhile, Ayame only received light injuries since her headache resulted from her Quirk overuse but—it had already subsided.

"You should take it easy for a bit. It looks like your body is overworking itself," Recovery Girl advised Ayame. There were even a few days old bruises on the girl's body. "Here, have some gummies."

She laughed sheepishly for the advice, nodding her head in agreement with the nurse. Ayame perked up at the sight of candies and said a quick 'thanks!' She popped one in her mouth, watching as Recovery Girl kissed Midoriya's fingers. He flinched in pain and held back a scream but Ayame grimaced for him.

"Would you mind leaving first, young girl?" Recovery Girl asked Ayame kindly.

She blinked at sudden request and looked at the two. Midoriya offered an apologetic smile and, figuring it was none of her business, Ayame nodded.

"Okay! See you tomorrow, Deku-kun!"

Ayame hopped out of the office, opening the door and nearly stumbled into someone. The skeleton teacher with the oversized suit was standing before the door right as she opened it.

"Oh!" She exclaimed in surprise and bowed, "Excuse me, sensei."

"Oh-oh!" The blonde stepped back quickly, vibrant blue eyes staring at the brunette, "G-go ahead."

Ayame blinked again, even his voice sounded raspy. She gave Midoriya another wave and went her way to the locker rooms.

* * *

School was over by the time Ayame was done. She grabbed her school backpack and made her way towards the exit. Hundreds of other students left as well and amongst all of the students, Ayame recognized the red and white hair. Remembering how they had taken the same train to school before, she hopped over to Todoroki.

"Hey, Totoro-kun!"

Todoroki stiffened, instantly recognizing the bubbly voice of his upperclassman and continued walking. Why does she always pop up around him?

Ayame pouted. He was ignoring her!

She ran up to him quickly and blocked his way, not deterred by the sudden sharp look he gave her. So what? She was used to it by Takarada's glare, anyways.

"Ahhh, I only wanted to say thanks for rescuing me today!" Ayame huffed. She forgot to mention it earlier but she planned on thanking him the next day anyways! Now, she won't have to! "I won't walk with you since you don't want to."

She spun around; long tan hair flying behind her as Ayame walked away. Todoroki eyed the long hair for a second before continuing his venture home. Ayame was a couple steps in front of him and he followed behind in a steady pace. Other students walked and chattered around them yet both were lost in their own worlds.

Todoroki kept his hands in his pocket, walking behind Ayame with no intention on passing her. Thinking back to his senpai, he remembered the battles from the past day and so. It truly did not look like it but Ayame was…strong. Even during the attack at USJ, he had seen the dozens of villains lying unconscious from Ayame and Aizawa's defense. Todoroki had not seen her fight then but—he knew she must have been a helpful asset to Aizawa.

And regarding the sudden training Aizawa spurred on them, they were able to witness her Quirk even more. Yesterday, she was not able to use the full extent of her powers until today. Todoroki hadn't realized there was more than she let on and a small part of him wished that he was one of the students to fight her.

The giant summon she created and the multiple wolves were a surprising factor. What was even more confusing was—Ayame's shock herself. But no matter how hard she had tried, she faced serious repercussions afterwards. Even Midoriya was able to blow her summons to pieces.

Then what about him?

Would Todoroki be able to win against her?

They arrived at the train station and as expected, they took the same train home. Ayame was still not attempting to talk to Todoroki—because that was what he wanted anyways! She leaned against the side of the door in the crowded train, her reflection from the window showed the slight pout on her lips and Todoroki's blurred figure across from her.

She wouldn't be getting off for another few stops. Briefly, Ayame wondered which station Todoroki leaves at but quickly shook that from mind. He doesn't seem like the type to want to be friends so there goes all her wasted efforts! Maybe she was still feeling bitter about Takarada and his stone-face that Todoroki's own quiet nature bothered her.

A few more minutes passed and the intercom announced her exit. As soon as the door opened, Ayame stepped out without another word. Her feet took her upstairs back to the city yet before she even left the station, her shoulder was grabbed. Ayame tensed, turning her head to see a few high school guys she doesn't recognize.

What do they want?

"Hey, you're from U.A., right?" The tallest one had asked with a wide grin. "Wanna come with us to the arcade?"

Ayame glanced around. Ah, no wonder they asked her. She was the only girl walking alone. Already in a bad mood, she shook off his hand.

"No, thanks."

"Why not?" Another guy followed her as they slowly trailed behind her.

 _What the heck? Stop following! That's creepy!_

"I don't have a habit of following sleazy guys around," Ayame answered truthfully with a cute smile.

"You—"

"Oi."

A cold hand reached out to swat the one trying to grab her. Ayame blinked, lilac eyes following heterochromia ones glaring at the guy. Todoroki reached out to tug her along and ignored the rest.

"Let's go."

Seeing that she wasn't alone anymore, the guys clicked their tongues and left. Todoroki led (dragged) her away, cold fingers clutching onto her wrist while she followed behind him.

"You didn't have to do that, ya know," Ayame felt her mood improved, slightly smiling behind him as he continued to march forward.

"Ahh," Todoroki agreed; really, he didn't plan on it but he hated seeing those types of people harassing others for no reason. "Are you able to get home by yourself?"

She nearly rolled her eyes. Ayame was the one older than him! Plus, her injuries were already healed! Why was he acting like her babysitter?

"I'll be fine," she answered and tugged on the still trapped wrist.

Realizing that he was still holding on, Todoroki let go. His eye scanned her appearance and seeing no visible injuries confirmed that she will be alright. With her hair untied and nonchalant attitude, Todoroki can understand why Ayame was stopped before.

"Which way is your home?" Ayame asked curiously; she wasn't the type to stay upset for long.

Todoroki pointed towards one direction and Ayame blinked. If she remembered correctly, his house should be on the upper (richer) side of town. While Ayame's house was decently sized and was actually a _house_ , not an apartment, she wondered just how rich Todoroki was.

"Mine's that way," she pointed towards the opposite direction. Ayame took one step forward but paused again, turning back to Todoroki with a resolute face. "Thanks, again. And…uh, it's fine if you're…you. I just wanted to be friends with everyone but—I understand if you need your space."

Ayame ruffled her hair awkwardly. Why was it so hard to be a supportive upperclassman?! She just doesn't want any ill-relationship in Class 1-A—starting with him! Todoroki wasn't a bad kid, his assistance to her had proven it plenty of times, but he was just a little…cold! And that's fine!

Todoroki blinked, not expecting the random confession and couldn't form a reply. It didn't matter to him on what she or the rest of the class thinks of him. Todoroki went to U.A. for one reason: to be a hero on his own terms. Becoming _friends_ with anyone wasn't part of the plan.

"W-well! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Hearing no response was just as bad. Ayame hastily said her goodbyes and turned to leave. She felt slight warmth on her cheeks and wondered if summer had come early. Ahh—no, it's fine! This was not weird at all!

Heterochromia eyes watched his senpai's retreating back and thought back to her earlier statement. Todoroki turned around to leave without another glance, reaffirming his convictions from before.

 _I'm only here to be a hero. I have no intentions on being friends._

* * *

 **A/N:**

This is still Early-roki so of course he'll be a little cold still. And Ayame isn't falling in love _that_ fast; she wanted to be a good role model and friend!

Gosh this chapter was excruciating long by accident but I hope you all enjoyed it! More OCs are introduced in this chapter and feel free to send me more!

The Sports Festival arc will be a _long_ one since I'm writing the second year's event too. I just hope I can do the fight scenes and elimination rounds creatively! The class representatives are special OCs of mine so check my Twitter (CardyDesu) or Tumblr (toomuchpineapples) to see how they look like!

Oh, right, I won't be focusing on any side pairings despite a few hints. That's all I will write. Ayame x Shoto will be the main pairing here. And no, the 'Totoro' nickname won't stay. She just likes giving people nicknames though LOL

Reviews are much appreciated! I appreciate every favorite/story alerts and hope to hear some feedback as well.


	8. Sports Festival: Start!

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Class 2-A were practicing their Quirks the next day. Although it was nothing spectacular besides a simple Quirk exercise, Ayame held off on her Quirk. She needed some surprise factor during the festival! She can't let her classmates and potential rivals know!

At lunch, Ayame met up with Midoriya and a few others as always. Somehow, it had become a common occurrence for Ayame and Hotaru to eat with a few Class 1-A members. It wasn't uncomfortable or odd or anything but—it had been relaxing and fun.

Ayame noticed that there were a few others that preferred not to eat with them. Kirishima tried to convince Bakugo plenty of times but obviously the blonde stormed off in anger. Not only him but, Todoroki was often hiding somewhere too. Otherwise, Ayame had eaten with the others at least once already.

Thinking of Todoroki, she did not encounter him again during the morning commute. Not that she was paying attention to him or anything but—Ayame still felt a bit embarrassed from her outburst yesterday. She told herself to just be normal again and gave him some space; there's still the rest of the school year for her to get along with everyone.

"…and so the summons might be correlating with senpai's mind. When forced in a pinch, senpai was able to create that giant kitsune and control it to some degree. But there's also a huge setback; she can barely move afterwards. During our match, she was able to summon more again—how long is the interval each time between her summons? What else can she do?"

Ayame sweated, blinking at Midoriya muttering to himself while reviewing his notes on an old notebook. He seemed to be oblivious to everything else around him, even the food in front of him, and Ochako let out a laugh at Ayame's dazed expression.

"Deku-kun, senpai is staring," Ochako tapped the boy's shoulder.

"H-huh?!"

Midoriya looked up to see everyone stare at him. A blush spread over his freckles and cheeks, peering at Ayame shyly and she let out a laugh too. Ayame leaned over to see the notebook, amazed at the small sketch Midoriya had made of her and the dozens of little notes besides it.

"Wow! You're pretty spot on with your analysis," Ayame said in wonder, this was the first time someone had been so thorough with her Quirk. Although Yume had often pitched in to help, she only offered suggestions and not analysis.

"I-I like studying Quirks," Midoriya reasoned shyly, "Can you tell me more about your Quirk, senpai?"

"Sure!" Ayame chirped and disregarded her own food. "Let's see…so you got the main basics down! I am able to summon creatures from my mind and before, it was limited to one. The size always varies but it wasn't until recently I can create that giant one. I get headaches from the overuse but it doesn't usually last for long!"

Midoriya nodded his head. "I noticed that the stronger they are, the more complicated their smoke trails were."

"Oh? Yeah!" Ayame agreed in an afterthought. "I guess the bigger they are, the longer it takes to manifest too. But, I've been practicing with little creatures like this."

With a wave of her hand, two little butterflies appeared again. It floated along her fingertips and wrist slowly as a real butterfly would. Midoriya reached out to grasp one by the wing, surprised at the odd texture of it. It was similar to a ghost as they were able to see through the body but—it felt like watery-air. He knew he was able to hold onto it like water, but it also felt like he's not touching anything at all.

"I've been wondering too, senpai," Yaoyorozu joined in the conversation, one hand reaching out to have the second butterfly land on her hand, "Are your summons…sentient?"

Ayame blinked.

"Huh?"

"During our fight…you left your ookami to chase after us," Yaoyorozu began, "Back then, you shouldn't have been able to see us with all that smoke around. But, the ookami was able to track us down and operate without your guidance."

"Uh," Ayame put a hand to her chin, thinking, "That's a good question."

"You don't know?!"

Ayame startled at Midoriya, Iida, Ochako, and even Yaoyorozu's shout. She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, laughing shyly with a shrug.

"I-I guess I base it off on the general information I know about them…?" Ayame attempted to explain. At the sight of everyone's still stunned expression, she elaborated. "S-so like! You know that one show about the ninjas? The kitsune is based off of the kyuubi! S-so that's why it's all big and strong…?"

They stared at her attempt in explaining and saw the slightly flustered expression on her face. Ochako had a dopey smile on her face as Ayame continued to wave her hand animatedly.

 _Ah…senpai sure is easy-going._

Midoriya took what little information she gave and nodded, jolting it down quickly in his trusty notebook.

"So…they may act like the general creatures you see but you are also able to command them," Midoriya paused and looked up, "I think…because they are ingrained in your subconscious, they are able to move without your constant command."

"Oh! Is that how it is?" Ayame asked excitedly. _That would explain the kyuubi saving me!_

Midoriya waved his hand shyly, "W-well, t-that's just how I see it."

"Hmm but I'm still a newbie trying to summon more or also bigger ones," Ayame thought. "Does that have something to do with my mentality?"

"Or maybe you're just dumb."

"Ahhhh I know!" Ayame clutched her head; she knew that might be it! But wait, why did that voice sound off? WAIT—which one of her kouhais would call her that?!

She looked up and turned behind her, gasping at Takarada finishing up his meal and stood up with his tray. Yuu looked absolutely red trying to contain his laughter, one hand clutching his mouth and Ayame swore she saw tears at the corner of his eyes.

"You!"

"G- _ganbatte_ , Ayame-san," Yuu stood up as well and left with Takarada.

The students stared at Ayame as she was still stunned by the sudden appearance of her class representatives. They could nearly see the steam rushing from her head and her cheeks tinting red in anger when she stood up.

"Ahhh! Does anyone have a rewind Quirk?! Please—just one minute will do!" Ayame nearly shouted in the cafeteria.

The students around burst out laughing at Ayame begging. She sat back down dejected, hugging and whining to Hotaru about how she could never redeem herself again.

Kirishima laughed from a few tables over, pointing at the brunette towards Bakugo.

"They sure are energetic! C'mon, Bakugo, let's join them next time!"

"Tch, I don't associate with idiots!"

* * *

Ayame had plenty of work to make up for missing a few sessions from 2-A. She couldn't practice her Quirk like she wanted and instead, was forced to stay afterschool to do the work. Ume and Aizawa had come to an agreement that she doesn't necessarily need to go help Aizawa _every_ day, just most of time and he will inform her when he does not need her. It was still a new program U.A. was implanting so—of course some trial and errors will occur.

 _But why do I feel like a guinea pig?!_ Ayame cried in her mind. From the 'new' updated schedule she received from Ume, there was barely a day or two for Ayame to rest in one month!

She sighed, brushing her fringes back from the side to study the textbook in front of her. Students were leaving the school grounds but a few of them were in the study hall like her. Unable to absorb any material from the textbook, she propped a hand up to gaze out the window.

She recognized the sparkling black hair from Takarada and the icy blue hair from Yuu. Ah, as expected, those two stood out the most wherever they were. Takarada's hair, though black in doors, shine with little gem dust in an iridescent shine under the sun. There were plenty of girls admiring the two 'princes' as they got into the private car sent to pick them up.

Ayame rolled her eyes until they landed on familiar red and white hair on one student. She watched Todoroki leave the school grounds, alone.

Ayame couldn't understand him. Todoroki wasn't _completely_ unfeeling. He had helped her handful of times already since they first met. Although he gave off a cold exterior, he was the one that saved her yesterday. And—he also helped her with those other high school guys trying to hit on her.

All of his actions had always been subtle. Whether it was supporting her during USJ's attack or pointing out her injuries, they were subtle notices. Todoroki does not make a big show of his words and let his actions do the talk instead. He was a good, but cold kid.

 _Ahh, whatever_ , Ayame stretched, _I'm sure he has his own reasons._

At that time, she noticed a familiar figure walk by with an armful of books. She perked up at the dark haired boy and waved, calling out, "Sero-kun!"

The said boy turned around and noticed her, smiling as he arrived at her table. "Hello, Ayame-senpai. Are you studying too?"

She twirled the pen around casually. "Unfortunately."

"Do you mind if I joined you?" Sero asked hesitantly.

"Not at all! You'll be a good company!"

"Or a distraction," Sero snickered.

It was silent for a few moments as they turned back to their textbooks. Ayame continued to review her work with an intense concentration. Sero also worked quietly on his end but his hands were twitching with nerves. There had been something he wanted to say but couldn't get the words out as he peeked at Ayame from the corner of his eyes.

"S-senpai," Sero finally forced out, bringing lilac eyes to peer at him curiously. "I-I want to apologize, for yesterday."

"What for?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

Sero looked down at the textbook yet was unable to focus on any of the letters. He felt…useless during yesterday's match. When faced with his classmates Quirks, he thought his wouldn't even make it to the top 10. Although they had won the match, all he did was allow Ayame to play bait and fight.

"I'm not…as strong as Todoroki or Tokoyami…even Kaminari but—I want to do my best—to be a hero too!" Sero looked up with a new resolved, black eyes shining in determination. "If we ever get paired up again, I swear I would not hold you back!"

Ayame blinked, lilac eyes widening at his sudden outburst and yet—she wanted to laugh. Ah—all of her kouhais are so cute!

"Whaaa, Sero!" A pair of loud voices echoed in the room and two blurs came running over.

"Despite your plain looking face, you have a heart of gold!" Mineta cried out.

"What the heck?!" Sero glared at Mineta.

"You are definitely, not wrong!" Kaminari clutched his fist tightly, "You are so humble even with your victory!"

Ayame blinked at the two that just joined them and wondered when they had arrived. She watched the three guys playfully mock each other and—suddenly, she laughed. Sero may have felt like he was the cause for Ayame's injuries but he had worked well with her regardless of their disadvantages. If anything, she worked the hardest with Kaminari!

"Sero-kun, you'll definitely keep improving!" Ayame cheered, "And the one that gave me the most trouble was Kaminari-kun so, don't worry!"

"Hah?!" Kaminari shouted in shock, "I-I did my best!"

"Who was the one that said you'll win for Ayame-senpai?" Mineta snickered.

"In the end, she fought and won for you!" Sero pointed out.

Kaminari looked discontent and crossed his arms, turning his head away from them. Ayame laughed again at their playfulness and Sero felt the weight lift off his heart. He turned back to the two intruders with an almost accusing look in his eyes.

"How _did_ you hear our conversation, anyways?" Sero asked, "Were you spying?"

Mineta and Kaminari stiffened and glanced at each other. Finding that suspicious, Ayame gasped and pointed towards them.

"You were!"

"No!" They both cried at once.

"We just saw Sero heading towards a girl!"

"And we can't believe the plain-looking would be the first one to get a girlfriend!"

"But then we realize it's just senpai."

"But that doesn't make it any better!"

Ayame and Sero looked at the two flustered guys trying to explain. She never considered herself pretty or anything but realizing that the ones 'complimenting' her were…the two most perverted guys in the class, she felt drained.

"Ahhh you two!" Ayame knocked the two of their heads together, finally satisfied, "No wonder the girls do this often! It's so relieving!"

"Ow, ow," they both clutched their heads.

Sero snickered. "Don't be ridiculous, she's not my type."

Ayame clutched her heart. "Ouch, that hurts."

Sero laughed again while ignoring the astonished faces of his two classmates. "I'm just saying! I wouldn't want to fight for senpai's affection, too! Did you see her classmates? The two tall ones!"

Kaminari groaned. "The two 'princes' again?"

"Yeah! With them in her class, how would she even pay attention to us?"

Ayame watched the three of them talk back and forth, her head reeling in confusion. What the heck?

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She interrupted, "In what way and shape did that stupid class pres and I were being ' _affectionate'_?!"

Kaminari brought a hand to his cover his mouth. "Ah, she's shy."

"A blushing senpai…" Mineta nearly drooled.

"I am red, from anger!" Ayame pointed to her face.

"You might be right," Kaminari ignored her and turned back to Sero, "If there was someone that was interested in our class…it has to be—"

Ayame swung her textbook at Kaminari before he can even finish, face red in anger. She packed up her textbooks and shoved them in her book bag.

"Ahh I can't get any work done with you guys here!" Ayame got up and carried her bag, "This better be the last time I hear about this!"

With that, she spun on her heels and left. Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero stared at each other before laughing loudly. Kaminari was still nursing his red cheek but with Ayame out of his distance, he continued his gossip.

"It has to be _him_ , right?"

"The one that rushed to save her?"

"The strongest one in class?"

"The strongest is me!"

"No way!"

In the end, the three couldn't come up with a unanimous answer.

* * *

Her face still felt warm after she left the school grounds. It wasn't like Ayame was embarrassed! She couldn't believe her kouhais would assume something was going on between her and her classmates! Since the first year, Ayame had been trying to be understanding and pleasant to Takarada but he always rebuked her!

 _What did I ever do to him?!_

She huffed, brushing back the hair from her face and paused at a convenience store. Ayame went in quickly to browse through the manga section, mood improving by the new chapter of the current popular shonen. She flipped through the pages with deep interest and nearly cried at the end. It left on a cliffhanger again!

Putting the magazine back, Ayame noticed a girly magazine next to it. It was the shoujo genre this time with many different high school girls featured on the front. She paused for a second, thinking, before shrugging and flipped through the magazine as well. Although Ayame enjoyed the art style and the cutesy antics of the girls…

 _I can't relate to this…_

She purchased an ice cream bar when she left as silent thanks for the owner to allow her to browse. Her lilac eyes were focused on the bright up sky above, thinking again.

It wasn't that Ayame was _completely_ clueless to 'love'. Granted, most of her experience had been from shoujo mangas and slight romance from the shonen at times but—Ayame had fallen in love before, okay?!

But…that 'love' never flourished.

There was a boy she once liked in middle school. He was cool and sporty, friendly and playful. Ayame, like the rest of the girls in her grade, often cheered for him when he would play basketball. At that time, Ayame thought there was possibly no one as great as him and had hopelessly gotten a _crush_.

And, by some stroke of luck, the boy had noticed her too. He would call out 'Sasaki' loudly in the hall, would ask her for notes (despite them both being terrible in class), and even walked her home once! Ayame was over the moon by the attention even if it was minuscule and silly. She thought maybe—they would be more than friends one day.

As the school year neared the end, it was time for them to decide on high schools. Ayame, despite her crush, still applied to U.A. High School. As much as she liked the other boy, her dreams of becoming a hero was still top priority! But, she decided to confess before the school year ended. She would not leave without letting her feelings known!

But she didn't have to do anything. The boy came to _her_ first. He wanted to talk to her after school privately and Ayame's head spun with the possibility of a confession. She had worried about it for the remaining day until that was all she could think about. When it came to the time for the meet up, she found him already waiting for her.

Gathering up her courage, Ayame decided she will confess first. There was not another better opportunity than now. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest and she could feel her face heat up in embarrassment but with his smile, she blurted out those three simple words 'I like you'.

' _I-I'm sorry…Sasaki…I was hoping…to meet your sister, Y-Yume-san.'_

Ah, Ayame was so foolish back then.

How can she forget that Yume had debuted as a sidekick that year? How could she forget her renowned sister when Ayame had been bragging about her for the majority of the school year? How could she not realize that he only walked her home because he wanted to catch a glimpse of her sister? How could Ayame not realize that compared to her kind, caring, successful, beautiful sister—she was only an afterthought?

' _I like you as a friend…but you're too…boyish for me.'_

Ayame wanted to scream.

But instead, she laughed it off. She rubbed her short brown hair and gave an all too-wide grin, saying she will ask her sister for him but—nothing more. Ayame asked him to forget her little confession for the favor and ran away before he can agree.

When Ayame returned home and saw her sister, she wanted to hate her for it. Ayame wanted to hate her sister for always being…perfect, for being so great and kind and _flawless_ with every decision and action. But when Yume ran up to her and asked why Ayame was crying, cupping her cheeks together with distressed violet eyes, Ayame knew she can never hate Yume.

It was not Yume's fault for her own shortcoming. It was not Yume's fault for Ayame to be loud and rambunctious, sporty and _boyish_ like he had said. Ayame was not her sister and she doesn't want to be. She was her own person; if they can't see that then—that's not someone Ayame wanted to be with.

It still does not stop the heartache she felt nor did Ayame stop crying but—she felt the need to change.

Ayame grew out her hair. Ayame focused on her hero studies. Ayame distracted herself with the endless shonen manga, anime, and any other shows she found. Ayame will never consider liking anyone again and convinced herself for anyone that shows interest meant nothing more than friendship.

 _But some things can't be changed._

Ayame threw away the popsicle stick, pausing when she stopped right in front of an electronic store. The television played a scene of LullaCry stopping five robbers before they can even step outside the bank. Her long brunette hair was flying in the wind while violet eyes emitted a bright red. The civilians nearby cheered loudly, drowning out Ayame's thoughts.

Her hand reached up to her bun, staring at her own reflection from the glass. Although she had grown out her hair to be more…feminine, it only made her appearance even more similar to Yume. It was to the point where people almost confused her for it until they realized Ayame was wearing a school uniform and not a hero outfit.

 _If—when I become a hero too—will they confuse us even more—?_

Ayame turned away from the screen.

* * *

Takarada arrived home in a timely manner after Yuu dropped him off. His friend had whispered a barely audible 'good luck' before he left, knowing Noeru would not reply. Crystal eyes studied the grand gate of his estate before heading towards the mansion, ignoring the servants welcoming him home.

The mansion was spacious and grand, filled with precious gemstones on display that was easily worth a house or two. For the Takarada family of three, it was more than enough space for just one twelfth of the mansion to use but—his father does enjoy flaunting his wealth.

Noeru arrived at the study he knew his father would be using, pausing once to collect himself before raising a hand to knock on the polished wood. He heard the strict 'enter' before pushing the door open, strolling in with practiced steps to stand before his father.

The Takarada patriarch was nearing 50's in age yet still had a sovereign and clean-cut appearance to him. Matching crystal eyes regarded his one and only son who just entered, eyeing the grey U.A. uniform with hidden disgust before returning back to the stack of papers on his desk. Noeru knew how much his father disliked the uniform and hid the smirk within.

"Father," Noeru greeted plainly and waited.

Takarada Tatsuo barely gave him another glance. The elder man finished his documents and signed it, waiting just long enough for Noeru to start feeling annoyed before looking at him again. His son, much like himself, kept up the cold mask over his face.

"What is it," it felt more like a statement than question.

Noeru was not the type to beat around the bushes and went straight to the point.

"U.A. Sports Festival is approaching soon," he paused for a second, allowing the words to sink into his father, "Will you be attending this year as well?"

Tatsuo leaned back on his chair. "Of course. You haven't forgotten the agreement, have you?"

How can he? It was all his father would talk about and have it hanging over his head, waiting for Noeru to slip up. How can he forget the agreement they made two years ago for his future on the line?

"No," Noeru answered coldly, "I hope you will hold your end of the deal afterwards, Father."

Tatsuo hummed and without another word, Noeru turned around to leave. After leaving the study, Noeru reached up to tug the red tie off his neck, eyes narrowed and glaring for the servants to not disturb him. It always felt like a chore speaking with his father every time and his mother would never be the type to vouch for him.

 _She's probably too lost in her own interests to even care about her son_ , Noeru thought bitterly.

Despite the spacious mansion, Noeru felt suffocated in his own home. His mother never cared for his well-being and his father had always trained him to be just like him. Noeru had been so fed up with this way of life that he rebelled once, going against his father for his own future.

" _I want to be a hero."_

That conversation from two years ago was the biggest fight Noeru had with Tatsuo. His father only wanted him, the only son, to follow his footsteps and study business to one day take over the company. Noeru never cared for it and only wanted to be a hero like all the other boys his age. He wanted to fight and use his Quirk for something good, not for monetary gains.

But when Tatsuo heard of Noeru's dream, he laughed.

" _A hero? That's a self-indulgent job. You are a Takarada; you are Takarada Noeru. Your future was never yours to decide."_

Noeru had been so angry, he challenged his father. Takarada Noeru will be the top of his class for all three years in U.A. That would extend to the top grades; win the tournaments, and countless other rules on top of it.

If he fails, then Noeru would drop out of U.A. to follow his father's wishes. That was why, he cannot slip up now. Noeru, under any circumstances, cannot lose. He had already completed the first test by being accepted into U.A. through the normal entrance exams. His father had humored him then and went along with his wishes but Noeru knew Tatsuo was waiting for him to mislay.

He changed out of his uniform and into his workout clothes, heading to the indoor gym. The only thing he can do would be to work out his frustrations, to get stronger and better. If his family would not support him, then Noeru will succeed on his own accord.

Something fluttered by the window and Noeru glanced out to see a butterfly fly by. He paused momentarily, eyes narrowing into a glare at the colorful insect.

" _I will be a wonderful hero before you know it."_

That _damned_ Sasaki Ayame.

He couldn't believe she made it into the hero class. Noeru had recognized the obnoxious voice and appearance as soon as he stepped into U.A. She had been the one to faint during the examination so how the hell did she pass?

But what bothered Noeru the most was…her natural hero prowess.

During the examination, she had countered those robots effortlessly where as the other students were a dozen points behind them. She had just been a tad faster than him but his Quirk allowed him to shatter the robots easier compared to her and gained an upper hand. When the giant, point-less robot appeared, Noeru was the one to realize the tactics U.A. used.

While other students were running away from the robot, he was calculative and strategic in rescuing and guiding the others. That damn idiot stood there dazed for a second before rushing forward to 'save' him.

" _Watch out!"_

Noeru thought her Quirk was useless but—at the sight of the giant tortoise protecting them, maybe she was stronger than he realized.

" _G-get out of here!"_

And she had been so _natural_ at it. Ayame faced the danger head on without a second thought, because Noeru _knew_ she was not thinking. Noeru was perfectly fine protecting himself and wouldn't have rushed to save the other students if he wasn't prepared. In the end, she still ran over like an idiot and overexerted herself.

Once had been enough. Noeru was perfectly content with ignoring Sasaki afterwards. He would not acknowledge her if given the chance and on the rare times they did speak, it was never pleasant. Throughout the first year, he learned more things about her than he wanted and _hated_ her for it.

Sasaki Ayame had a powerful ex-hero for a mother. Her older sister became the model representative for U.A. High School and was also an influential hero. She had a loving family and a powerful Quirk that could rise up in the world of heroes and yet…

" _Ne, Hotaru-chan! The new anime episode came out yesterday!"_

" _Ahhh I'm so tired! I stayed up all night reading this manga."_

" _Ehehe, this is still considered passing right? A score of 55 out of 100?"_

Noeru hated her easy-going personality and her carefree nature. Ayame does not bother to try to be a hero while Noeru had to fight for his chance. She, who constantly goes on and on about the new shows she watched, does not understand how _lucky_ she was for that privilege.

And that simply _infuriated_ him.

 _Sasaki, you better not show your face around me in the festival. I swear I will knock you out of the competition._

* * *

In a blink of an eye, the remaining few days until the Sports Festival had passed quickly. It was an all day event separating the student tournament and actual festival in many different locations. There was a separate stage for the first, second, and third years but the first years would go first. From the schedule Ayame had briefly seen, she would be able to watch some of the first-years stages before she would be leaving for hers. Hopefully, she can watch it all before she had to prepare for her own!

Ayame was excited for the festival and had already changed into her gym uniform. It would only be fair if all the students wore their uniform to fight and it would be purely based on skill. Since this year she was assisting Class 1-A, she was more than excited to cheer for them.

"Hotaru-chan! Can you sneak us into 1-A's locker room?" Ayame whispered eagerly, her hair pulled back into the usual bun and her fringes were flying around in the wind.

Hotaru glanced around, noticing that there were not many people around, and nodded her head. Her teleportation Quirk would be the best transportation around—as long as Hotaru knew the location within a certain radius, she can teleport her and one more person to that spot instantly. Ayame had often complimented her friend on the Quirk and wished she also had the power to teleport instantly too.

Ayame grabbed onto Hotaru's hand and the shorter girl closed her eyes. The freckles on her cheeks began to glow neon yellow and within a flash, they were gone. Ayame felt her insides roll around uncomfortably and opened her lilac eyes with a dizzy head.

"Ugh, now I remember why I dislike using your Quirk," Ayame rubbed her head.

Hotaru smiled helplessly. "I-it affects my passenger more than me…sorry, Aya-chan!"

"Wha?! Senpai?!"

Ayame rubbed her brief headache away to blink at the locker rooms they had teleported to. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Class 1-A in their gym uniforms, hopping to the table closest to her which consisted of Todoroki, Bakugo, Sero, Kirishima, and Kaminari. She had been slightly hesitant at looking towards Todoroki since they had not a conversation again since that last time but—he acted just as always.

Cold and distant.

"Yo!" Ayame waved widely, "I'm here to cheer you on!"

"Senpai, do you know what the first round may be?" Sato asked curiously from the table over.

"Nope!" Ayame grinned, "It's always randomized so there's no point in asking us."

At that time, the door barged open to reveal Iida bursting in. He was also wearing the same gym uniform as the others, hair swept neatly to the side with his usual glasses on.

"Everyone! Are you ready? We'll be entering soon!" His eyes glanced around the room, stopping at the two upperclassmen within and startled. "Senpai! Are you allowed to be here?"

Ayame giggled and Hotaru nervously twiddled her fingers.

"Don't worry, Iida-kun! We just wanted to cheer you all on!" Ayame reassured.

Todoroki began to walk away; his movement caused Ayame to turn to him curiously. His eyes were focused on one person only and the whole class quieted down when he called the freckled boy's name.

"Midoriya," Todoroki said, one hand stuffed into his pocket as usual.

"Todoroki-kun? What is it?" Midoriya looked at the taller boy nervously.

Everyone turned the two having a conversation. It wasn't often for Todoroki to approach their classmate. He was usually alone and quiet by himself. They can barely remember him sitting down and eating lunch with someone the past few weeks. Seeing him initiating a conversation with Midoriya was a surprise.

"Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you," Todoroki began.

"Huh? Y-yeah," Midoriya sheepishly agreed.

"But…All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?" Ayame blinked at Todoroki's question. Wait, he has? "I'm not trying to pry about that. But I'm going to beat you."

Wait what?! Why was Todoroki picking a fight with Midoriya? And—why Midoriya of all people?! He was such a sweet and shy boy so—Ayame couldn't reason any of this!

"Oh? Is the best in the class making a declaration of war?" Kaminari asked in a mix of shock and amusement.

Kirishima got up from his seat to Todoroki, setting one hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him down. "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? Not now, we're about to start!"

"We're not here to play at being friends," Todoroki shoved the hand away from him. "So what does it matter?"

What the heck? Why does that feel like it was aimed specifically at Ayame?! She flinched back in shock at those words when Todoroki turned around to walk away, his mismatched eyes gazed over her briefly. She had been trying to make an effort with Class 1-A and nearly everyone recuperated her friendship but—why was he purposely distancing himself and act like none of his classmates matter?

"Oi, Totoro-kun! That's not nice," Ayame blocked his path; her eyes were stern against his. Well, he can blame her if he wants but—he shouldn't take it out on his classmates! Right before their events, too!

" _Senpai_ ," Todoroki stopped walking and the blank look on his face turned into a slight glare. Ayame was silently thankful they were around the same height; she wouldn't want him to be looking down on her. "I'm only respectful because you are my upperclassman but, I have no intentions on being buddy with you either. I would appreciate it if you take your 'friendship' elsewhere."

Ayame was stunned, staring at him with an agape expression before the anger quickly boiled underneath her. Lilac eyes returned the glare fully, lips pulling back into nearly a scowl as she leaned closer to him.

"What is your problem? We're only trying to help! Plus—you'll be with your classmates for the next three years! Shouldn't you at least _try_ to make an effort? I'm sorry if I had offended you but—you should give the others a chance!" Ayame retorted back.

"I don't want or need the help," Todoroki rebuked harshly; "I've already said it plainly. I am not interested in being 'friends' with anyone."

Ayame wanted to strangle him. This boy reminded her of Takarada and his harsh nature! And look how well Takarada gets along with 2-A—which was not well at all! She couldn't see Todoroki follow the same path but—it looked like it was too late!

"T-Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya brought their attention to him before a fight can occur between Ayame and Todoroki, "I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me, but of course you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people. Looking at it objectively…"

"Midoriya, you probably shouldn't talk so negatively…" Kirishima tried to cheer up.

"But, everyone— The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got too! I can't afford to fall behind. I'll be going for it with everything I have, too." Midoriya finished his speech with a resolute face; everyone looked at him with silent admiration.

Ayame's anger simmered down at the sight of Midoriya. Although he was always nervous and shy when speaking around her, Midoriya was brave and strong when challenged. He would not let himself be bullied and he knew of his own shortcomings. It reminded Ayame a little bit about herself and a small smile appeared on her lips at that thought.

"Yeah," Todoroki acknowledged with a glance towards Midoriya before brushing past Ayame. She turned around to stare at his back with a slight frown, her fist clenched together at his upsetting attitude.

"Ayame-senpai, don't worry," Kirishima turned to her with a small smile, "The rest of us appreciate the help you've given us."

"Yeah!" Kaminari and Sero cheered together. "Don't let him bring you down!"

She turned back to the rest of the class with another smile, nodding her head brightly. Ayame ruffled the back of her head and motioned towards the door.

"C'mon, you guys should go. We'll be cheering from the benchers, okay!" Ayame gave a wide grin and an 'okay' sign.

One by one, the students left the classroom, leaving Ayame and Hotaru alone with Bakugo. The blonde had stood up slowly and Ayame wondered why he was behind; she would assume he'd be excited for this event the most.

"Oi, crybaby-senpai," Bakugo called out to her and Ayame wanted to howl over the nickname, "The same goes for me. I don't want to be friends with you, either!"

He stalked off after that sentence and Ayame gaped again. How rude!

"You brat!" Ayame called after him, "I'm going to make you change your mind! I'll make sure you and that dummy Totoro-kun will change your minds!"

Bakugo replied with a wave of his middle finger.

* * *

Many people were whispering about the first-year's stage for this year. It was the class that survived the villain's attack during USJ and based on the information from the media, the first-years were a capable bunch.

Ayame heard the whispers around and felt an odd itch within her. The media and viewers were always interested in the third-years as they were more experienced as heroes. For this year, the people would be split between first and third and—Ayame felt _weird_ at that thought.

 _Ah, am I being overlooked again?_

She did not tell her family about the Sports Festival. Although Ayame had told herself many times to casually bring up the conversation, she felt awkward whenever her parents had babied over Suzume or spent time with Yume as she was often out on missions. Ayame kept up her cheery persona and told herself countless times to not worry; she was capable by herself.

But, she does feel…ignored at times as the middle child.

Ayame slapped her cheeks, brushing those thoughts away to focus on the first-year event. Thankfully, the students had a special viewing booth that was close to the stadium. Ayame and Hotaru had sat on the Class 2-A side with a few of their fellow classmates while the others were probably out enjoying the festival before it was their turn to participate.

"Hey, did you know that Endeavor's son is a first-year this year?"

"No way, seriously? Wow!"

Her ears perked up by the conversation above her, glancing up to see many different faces but couldn't discern who the one that spoke was. At the mention of the Number 2 hero, Ayame's curiously grew at the possibility of a name.

But, she couldn't hear anymore when the crowd's voices mixed together again. She clutched her head, moaning to Hotaru.

"Ahh, did you hear anymore from them?! I didn't know Endeavor has a son going here! Do you know who it is?" Ayame turned to her friend expectantly.

"I don't know…" Hotaru was not as well-verse into the heroes like Ayame was. Usually, the brunette would be the one to explain the Pro Heroes to her, not the other way around.

"Ahhh!" Ayame closed her eyes to think deeply, putting one hand on her cheek to try and remember Endeavor's unique features. "Do you think his son inherited his flame Quirk? Do they look alike? Wait, what does Endeavor look like again?"

Ayame began to wander out loud, talking mostly to herself rather than Hotaru but her friend had been paying close attention.

"I think…he has flames for hair!" Hotaru replied excitedly like she had gotten the answer correct on a test.

"Yeah!" Ayame opened her eyes and snap her fingers in Hotaru's direction. "Fiery hair and…sharp…blue eyes? No…that's not right… They're like…a mix of green…and…blue."

"Oh! Turquoise!" Hotaru elaborated again.

Unique, turquoise eyes that were bright and vibrant, pretty in shape and color. Ayame froze again as the puzzles slowly clicked together in her mind, Present Mic's voice echoing in the background to announce the first-year's entrance. She whirled around to grasp the railing, leaning over to see Class 1-A enter the stage first.

Her eyes were focused on one student only, his hair of white and _red_ stood out amongst all of them. Ayame couldn't see his eyes from her distance but—she remembered the colors of them from the many times they were close together. One side was a deep colorless grey and the other—was a beautiful shade of blue and green.

Turquoise.

The color she had dismissed before, merely waving it off as a pretty shade without realizing the connection to _what_ or _who_.

Todoroki felt the intense stare from various sides, one he knew was his father based on the showy flames he never turns off, and the other side… He glanced up to see the booth hosting Class 2-A. The bright, brunette hair of his upperclassman was leaning over the railing to stare at them. She wasn't making a big wave or screaming along with the rest of the crowd as he expected.

For some reason, he thought she was looking at _him_.

"Todoroki…Shoto…" Ayame whispered his name absentmindedly.

 _It was you—all along?_

* * *

 **A/N:**

Thank you to my faithful reviewers! I honestly would have given up on writing if not for you guys.

The Sports Festival finally begins! There's a little glimpse into Takarada's past and I'm only building him up because he plays an important role to Ayame's development. In the anime, I think all of the students fight as the same time in different stages and people can go see which years they wanted to see. I've changed a little bit here and since we haven't heard anything about 2nd or 3rd year's Sports Festival, I'm making it up as I go. It also highlights Ayame's insecurity a bit too as a middle child.

I made an Instagram specifically for Ayame x Shoto fanart. Please visit **PrivateCardy**! Tumblr ( **toomuchpineapples** ) will also have BnHA fanart!

Reviews will be deeply appreciated! I love to read (and reread) every single one!


	9. Let's Go, First Years!

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

To say Ayame was _not_ distracted during the festival would be a lie. Ever since she had found out that Todoroki Shoto was related to the Number Two Pro Hero, Endeavor, she had been stunned silent. Even Hotaru had noticed her disquiet mood but did not press on, merely glancing at her friend from the corner of her eyes every few minutes while she stayed focus on the field where the rest of the first-year gathered.

To be truthful, even Ayame herself felt a little bit perplexed by her own behavior. She knew other children being related to Pro Heroes was not a surprise. She was related to two (with her mother being an ex-hero). But, she had been surprised that Todoroki was related to Endeavor of all people. Their Quirks were polar opposites: fire and ice. And yet—it felt just like Todoroki with his half and half hair and eyes. They had never seen him use anything _but_ ice and so—the conception of him being related to Endeavor blew her mind.

And—Ayame wondered, why didn't he tell anyone? She often bragged about LullaCry when she was young. Ayame was proud of her mother who—despite being disabled by her Quirk—had made a name for herself and was a respected hero. Ayame loved her family and wanted to be just like them. She wanted to protect and fight and be _good_ —like a hero.

But Todoroki never mentioned anything about himself. He kept his secrets and thoughts to himself, not once sharing with others or even speaking with them. It made her curious and pensive, wondering what other surprise Todoroki may be hiding and if she can get him to open up, too.

" _We're not here to play at being friends."_

That was right.

He wasn't interested in them as they were of him. Ayame cannot recall a time she had seen Todoroki eat with someone at lunch. All the times they had spoken, it was Ayame that initiated a conversation, first. He was strong by himself and had not relied on anyone during the attack at USJ, during their training exercise, just—in general. Ayame thought he was just a boy who preferred solitude but—his attitude alluded that he just wasn't _interested_ at all.

And for some reason, that hurt.

Even Bakugo had someone willing to call him a friend. Even though that fiery boy was loud and rude, antagonizing nearly everyone he met and was competitive down to his bones, the others still…got along with him. He wasn't actively pushing others away like Todoroki had. Bakugo allowed them be, making a sly remark here and there, but he wasn't as cold as Todoroki.

That was odd even by itself!

And speaking of Bakugo, why was _he_ the one making the player pledge?! Ayame couldn't believe that Bakugo would be the top of his class even with his personality!

Bakugo stalked up the podium with both hands shoved in his pocket, his face schooled down into a frown as he arrived in front of the microphone. The whole stadium quieted down to listen to him and Ayame wondered if Bakugo would even say a proper pledge.

"I pledge—" Bakugo began and Ayame leaned closer to the railing, "That I'll be number one."

 _Huh?_

 _I KNEW HE'D DO THAT_ , Class 1-A cried.

"Kacchan, what the heck?!" Ayame gasped from the stand.

Hotaru looked just as stunned and the whole first-year students cried out in anger from the stage. Ayame gaped when even the crowd began laughing and commented on Bakugo's rashness.

"N-ne, Ayame-chan, is Bakugo-san…usually like this?" Hotaru asked quietly from the side.

"Y-yeah…" Ayame answered, watching Iida reprimanding Bakugo while he stepped down the stage without his usual explosive flare. For some reason, as she watched his straight back and calm demeanor leave, Ayame though Bakugo…was a completely changed person. Strong and—almost heroic in his confidence.

She shook her head to throw those thoughts away. _Class 1-A sure have a lot of problematic kids_ , she sighed. Ayame propped one hand up on her cheek, waiting for the first game to start.

"That Bakugo Katsuki kid is quite entertaining," Yuu laughed quietly next to Takarada, "Do you think he will win?"

Takarada almost scoffed at that question. "He's driven himself into a corner."

Ayame heard nothing of the exchange. Takarada and Yuu were sitting just the stand behind her while she was as close to the stage as possible. She hadn't realized the two class representatives would take the time to watch the other competition, too. At least, no one would have guessed they were watching the first-years.

"Now, let's get started right away!" Midnight announced, her voice echoing through the stadium, "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here!"

Ah, Ayame remembered this event very clearly. During last year's qualifier, although she had used her Quirk, it was not enough to secure her a spot to advance to the next game. Ayame had struggled with her summons back then and with the chaotic screams and competition, she wasn't able to show off or focus.

 _Hopefully, 1-A won't choke up like I had_ , Ayame thought quietly.

The digital screen stopped rolling and revealed the first game. It was an obstacle course race that would take place outside the stadium. The students would run four kilometers around and, Quirks were allowed to use. Since it's a hero high school where Quirks were free to use, it would be no less for U.A. to approve them for the Sports Festival.

The students gathered in front of the gate, waiting for the lights to go off. With all of the students gathered together, Ayame can barely make out who was who in the crowd. It was already hard to distinguish the hair color of them all.

"Good luck, everyone!" Ayame managed to yell in the end, hoping at least one of Class 1-A students heard her.

Right after, Midnight's voice followed with a loud, "START!"

In a flash, everyone began to run forward. There were screams and yelling from the bottom and Ayame leaned over the railing, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone she knew.

" **Okay, here's the play-by-play**!" Present Mic echoed the stadium, " **Are you ready to do the commentary, Mummy Man?!** "

" **You're the one who forced me to come.** "

Ayame's head snapped towards the recording studio where the commentators were, eyes wide and lips parted at the sound of her uncle's voice.

 _Oji-san…is watching the first-years, too?_

There was a small ache in her heart at that thought, eyes lowering to stare at the back of her hands. If the first-year's event were not done by the time it was Ayame's turn then—who would cheer for her—

Ayame slapped her cheeks and shook those thoughts away, focusing back on the race. She's not going to get distracted now!

Yuu glanced over Ayame briefly, one pale eyebrow arched upwards as he looked over Aizawa's direction.

Ice suddenly froze over the cramped tunnel the students were in, spreading out to the floor and expanding under Todoroki's foot as he ran ahead of everyone.

Ayame watched with silent amazement, _he's always…so incredible._

"Oh! Go Eijiro-kun! Go Momo-chan!" Ayame saw a few others run ahead, waving wildly even though they could not see her. Bakugo and Aoyama also rushed forward with their Quirks and Ayame was surprised those two were practically _flying_.

"Naïve, Todoroki-san! We've learned from the training exercise!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed.

"You got me with that once. You won't get me again!" Ojiro tapped the ice with his tail.

Amongst the students managing to advance, it was mostly Class 1-A students. Ayame cheered loudly from the side, proud and happy with her kouhais.

"I won't fall for that thrice!"

Even Mineta was able to advance with his Quirk, throwing the purple balls over the ice and bouncing off of them. Ayame wondered if the sudden training exercise Aizawa spurred on them had helped the students.

"I've outwitted you, Todoroki! How pathetic!" Mineta boasted. "Take this! My special attack!"

Mineta was slammed away by the robotic arm before he can finish his attack. Ayame winced for him as he rolled away, the camera panned out to reveal the giant robots they had fought against during the entrance exam and the midterms.

" **Obstacles have shown up suddenly!** " Present Mic's voice boomed, " **Starting with the first barrier: Robo Inferno!** "

"From what I remember…" Hotaru spoke up softly, "Those giant robots…were the pointless ones. Many of the students didn't fight against them…"

"They were only used for hero applications, weren't they?" Ayame wondered.

As expected, there were mumbling on the camera from the other students regarding the robots. The camera panned to Todoroki again, his expression turning serious and ice began to form beneath him. His right hand started to sparkle with a thin layer of frost and he leaned down. Suddenly, ice erupted under him and he used the momentum to slide under the robot, freezing the machinery from head to toe.

"W-wow," Hotaru whispered, "H-he's…pretty amazing."

Ayame hummed in response. Todoroki was able to stop the giant robot in one move whereas—Ayame barely remembered standing up against the robot. Even though she was more confident in her Quirk now, she wasn't sure if she can…fight a large-scale battle like him.

" **Class 1-A, Todoroki!** " Present Mic announced, watching the said boy run between the legs safely. The students tried to follow his lead but the robot collapsed, breaking the ice and its metal parts with it. " **He attacked and defended in one hit! How elegant! It's practically unfair!** "

" **His actions are logical and strategic** ," Aizawa followed up.

" **As expected of someone who got in through recommendations! He'd never fought them before, but those Robo Infernos couldn't get past his elite moves!** "

"H-he got in through recommendations?" Ayame was stunned again.

If she remembered, they only took the best of the best out of the bunch! The committee had to factor in their Quirk, intelligence, and hero recommendations to even be _considered_! She remembered Yume had a hard time getting recommendations and had nearly failed the physical examination while Ayame had to fight in the normal entrance exam. Exactly how elite was Todoroki in order to get all of that?!

"Ne, Noeru, do you think you can win against him?" Yuu asked light-heartedly.

"Of course," came the overconfident reply, "I'll beat anyone necessary to become a hero."

Yuu laughed again, soft and elegant like a prince.

The smoke finally cleared while the rest of the students were wondering how to pass the giant robots. There were confused shouts about students being trapped under the machinery but they didn't have to worry any more when two figures popped up. Ayame recognized the crimson red hair of one students, tapping Hotaru excited as she pointed on the screen.

"That's Eijiro-kun! He has a hardening Quirk!" She briefly explained.

" **Tetsutetsu from Class 1-B was also underneath! That's crazy!** " Present Mic exclaimed.

"Oh, he's new," Ayame blinked at the steel boy on screen.

" **His body can become like steel! He can become the strongest spear, or the strongest shield!** "

"Wait—isn't his and Eijiro-kun's Quirk…similar," Ayame sweat dropped.

The camera cut back to Kirishima running and crying on screen, the sparkling tears falling from his tightly squeezed eyes.

"Our Quirks are pretty much the same?! I have a hard enough time standing out as it is!" Kirishima cried.

Ayame laughed loudly at that. "O-oh no, Eijiro-kun! _Ganbatte_!"

A sudden explosion blasted from the ground and a figure flew above the robots. The HD camera caught the view of Bakugo flying over the giant robots, a crazy smirk split onto his face. Following right behind were Sero and Tokoyami with their Quirks.

"Whoo! Go, Toko-kun, Sero-kun! You're still a jerk but I know you won't fall behind, Kacchan!"

"Ayame-chan, you really…like Class 1-A, huh?" Hotaru smiled.

"Yup!" She grinned, "They're a likeable bunch!"

They watched as other students began to destroy the robots. Ochaka was able to make them float with her Quirk and then fall, smashing them to pieces. Jirou used her earphone jack to disrupt the electronics within. Ojiro's tail was powerful enough to smash the metal and Kaminari electrified them with his lightning.

"But you know… I saw them survive the attack at USJ. At that time…I couldn't protect any of them when it was my responsibility to…" Ayame said softly, eyes focusing on all of the students passing by. The camera landed on Midoriya grabbing a loose metal shield and used the momentum from the other robot to slash the arm off it. "But…I think that incident struck a chord within. They won't hesitate against machines like these!"

Ayame watched in admiration, feeling like a proud mother with her children. _Ah, is this what parenthood is like?!_

" **If you fall, you're out! If you don't wanna fall, then crawl! It's "The Fall"!** " Present Mic announced the next obstacle.

"Oh! This one looks a bit tricky," Hotaru gasped.

"Hm…" Ayame tapped her chin, "Would be easy for us though!"

" **A lot of different people are working hard for their chance, huh, Eraser Head?** " Present Mic said through the speakers.

" **What are you idiots stopping for?** " Ah, Ayame recognized her uncle's annoyed voice. She smiled, _he's cheering for them too!_

The screen showed Todoroki again sliding through the rope easily on his right foot. He reached another check point while the other students were trying to catch up from behind. A flying spark appeared from the corner of the screen and the camera zoomed in again to reveal Bakugo, still flying.

"Damn it!" Bakugo released more explosions from his hands, trying to match Todoroki's speed.

"Oh! There's I-Iida-kun!" Hotaru pointed out, nearly standing up from excitement and Ayame glanced at her. Oh my, she rarely sees Hotaru this excited!

"I can't let him see me act uncool!" The microphones picked up Iida's determination.

The next scene showed Iida barely balancing on the tightrope, both hands reached outwards for balance and Ayame burst out laughing again. Hotaru looked worried at the other boy attempting not to fall but Ayame laughed even harder at Present Mic's commentary.

" **That's so uncool!** "

"That guy in the first place is way ahead!" The audience exclaimed in amazement.

"His Quirk is really strong, but his natural athletic ability and judgment are also a cut above everyone else's."

"Of course it is. That's the Flame Hero, Endeavor's son!"

"No wonder! The blood of the guy second only to All Might, huh?"

"There'll be fighting over who gets him as a sidekick!"

Ayame heard the commentaries behind her and silently wondered to herself how everyone knew of Todoroki's heritage. They make it sound like it was only _natural_ for him to be the strongest or something because of who he was related to. Ayame felt...odd by that thought; she disliked seeing others compared because of their Quirks or family relationship. She had experienced all of that first-hand.

 _It's not as flattering as they would expect…_ Ayame thought to herself.

" **And now, we've quickly arrived at the final barrier! The reality here is…that it's a minefield! It's set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully!** "

"H-hey, Hotaru-chan…was last year's event…this extreme, too?" Since Ayame didn't make it onto last year's Sports Festival, she began to worry for her upcoming one.

Present Mic explained how the destructive power of the mines weren't that strong but even then, both of the girls were staring worriedly on the screen.

"N-not to this extent…"

The students in the back were struggling to avoid the landmines. Some explosions began to set off when they stepped on the wrong ground while Todoroki was avoiding using his ice to allow others a path. He was slowed down due to that reason but suddenly, a loud explosion rang out from a different source. Bakugo flew over the ground with his Quirk, landing right next to a surprised Todoroki.

"Bastard, don't declare war to the wrong person!" He shouted, left hand moved to throw an explosion at Todoroki. Todoroki stepped back to avoid the attack and Ayame gasped, standing up directly to watch the screen.

" **And now, we've got someone new in the lead!** " Present Mic sounded just as excited. " **Rejoice, mass media! It's the kind of development you guys love!** "

The camera switched to reveal Iida running through the field before the explosion can set off. Another student with animated vines for hair was following right behind. However, Todoroki and Bakugo continued to fight in the lead while running forward.

"I-Iida-kun may catch up at this point!" Hotaru exclaimed excitedly.

"Those two…" But Ayame was focused on Todoroki and Bakugo, slowly sitting down again as she watched in anticipation. _Who's the strongest one between them…?_

In everyone's distraction, no one noticed the huge pink explosion in the back until it was too late. The camera zoomed back to focus on the whole field, everyone surprised by the giant explosion from the starting line and—someone flying through?!

"Deku-kun?!" Ayame gasped.

" **Was it an accident, or did he do it on purpose?!** " Present Mic stood up from his seat, " **Class A's Midoriya is in hot pursuit with that blast!** "

The camera focused on him when Midoriya flew through on the green armor from the robot before. Ayame couldn't believe he carried that all the way through! And—he's flying past his two classmates!

" **Actually, he's taken the lead!** "

The crowd broke out into an uproar, the race getting more exciting with the new challenger. Ayame hopped out of her seat again and began to jump up and down, lilac eyes wide and excited for the underdog.

"Deku-kun! You can do it!" Ayame cheered.

A blurry figure flew forward and amidst the smoke, Bakugo's form caught up to Midoriya. Todoroki also ignored the other students behind him, ice forming beneath him as he ran forward in their direction without caring whether it may give the other students a path.

" **The two formerly in the lead have stopped trying to slow each other down and are chasing Midoriya! Now that they have a common enemy, they've stopped fighting! The fight's not over yet, though!** "

Todoroki and Bakugo reached Midoriya's landing spot. The short boy was still struggling with his landing but, in a split second decision, he slammed the armor down and onto the minefield. Another loud explosion set off under Todoroki and Bakugo while Midoriya ricochet off the armor and tumbled forward. He landed on his feet after one roll and quickly got on his feet to run.

"No way!" Hotaru exclaimed in astonishment.

"Deku-kun…definitely can't be counted out of the competition!" Ayame gasped, he hasn't even used his Quirk yet, either!

" **Eraser Head, your class is amazing! What're you teaching them?!** " Present Mic commented.

" **I didn't do anything. They got each other fired up on their own** ," Aizawa answered.

"Those three…" Ayame began softly, a small smile merging onto her lips, "Somehow, I can see a rivalry forming."

The camera lost track of the students when they ran into a long tunnel. It was the entrance back into the stadium and—whoever enters first would be the winner! Present Mic had mentioned before no one would know the number amount of students that were able to pass the first stage. But—based on the ones leading so far, Ayame can already see Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo to secure a spot.

" **U.A. Sports Festival, first-year stage! Who could've predicted the developments at the beginning or this conclusion?!** "

Everyone leaned closer to the edge to see the first person through. Ayame was nearly falling off the railing as she looked in that tunnel, waiting for a head to pop out.

" **Right now, the first person back in the stadium is that man…** "

Ayame screamed at the sight of familiar moss hair. She began jumping up and down again, nearly drowning Present Mic's speech as she shook Hotaru.

"Midoriya Izuku! Deku-kun is first!" Following close behind was Todoroki and Bakugo, both very close to getting that first place. "Totoro-kun! Kacchan! You guys made it too!"

Ayame continued to cheer despite the earlier 'fight'. After all, she was never the type to stay upset for long. Also, watching the three of them compete had been very, very exciting. She couldn't believe the huge comeback Midoriya made for first place! All she wanted to do was run down there to congratulate them!

The others began to appear through the finish line. Ayame saw Ochako run up to Midoriya afterwards. From the distance, she also saw Iida making it through and many other 1-A students. She waved her hand wildly around, hoping to catch their attention as she congratulated them from the side.

"Oiii! Congratulations!"

Hotaru waved next to her, not bothering to voice out her congrats too since Ayame was as loud as she can be. Midoriya and Ochako glanced over to the 2-A seating area and smiled, waving back to Ayame happily as everyone waited for the final results. There was a small intermission as they waited for everyone else to pass through the gates; until Aoyama finally entered the stage.

"The top 42 made it through to the next round," Midnight announced, "It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it! We've prepared other chances for you to shine. The real competition begins next!"

The projector pulled up the screen with the games, spinning and spinning as Midnight continued to talk. It finally stopped on a bright yellow slide for the next game.

"Cavalry battle?" Ayame blinked, she doesn't remember this event.

Midnight continued to explain the rules of the game. The students can form teams of two to four people if they wish with one as the rider. It would be the same rules applied as a regular battle but—the point system will be based on the results of the last game.

"Depending on the teams formed, the points will be different each team," Yuu analyzed, "Somehow…I'm sure U.A. will throw an unexpected twist to this, again."

"Hm," Takarada hummed; last year's event was also a simple sports festival game but—with an odd twist to it. It was to pit the students against each other and as always, Takarada had emerged victorious.

The screen revealed the points assigned to the 42 students. It started with 5 points and will continue to add 5 points as it reached the top. However, there was a second of silence as the screen slowly panned over to the 1st place, Midnight's voice echoing in the background.

"…and the first place is assigned… _ten million_ points!"

"T-ten million?!" Ayame screamed, eyes focused on the stunned Midoriya that was shaking within the spot.

"O-oh no…" Hotaru smiled helplessly, "L-looks like Midoriya-kun is going to be targeted."

"From 205 points to ten million—that's such a huge difference!" Ayame compared the second place to first, "A-ahhh, Deku-kun! Don't lose hope!"

"Tch," Takarada crossed his arms, "U.A. is so predictable."

Yuu laughed quietly from the side. "But that is what makes it fun."

Midnight continued to explain the rules of the cavalry battle. "The second event would last for 15 minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members' points and the riders will wear a headband with that number on their forehead. Teams will try to grab each other's headbands until time runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can. Stolen headbands must be worn on their neck up. So the more you steal, the harder it'll be to manage them! And the most important thing is that even if your headband gets stolen, or if your team falls, you're not out!"

"Oh…that's a pretty thorough explanation," Ayame nodded her head.

"This game…it will depend on the team's strategy," Hotaru said, "For Midoriya-kun…it would be best if he ran away."

"Ahhh, Deku-kun," Ayame sighed worriedly.

"You seem to be concerned about him the most, huh?" Hotaru giggled.

"Yeah! He's a good kid!" Ayame was quick to defend, "He's always helpful and a little shy but—look how cute he is! I'm worried Kacchan is gonna tear him to pieces—or Totoro-kun is gonna focus on him! His Quirk won't allow him to immediately fight back so how is sweet little Deku going to survive?!"

Hotaru laughed again and patted Ayame on her back. "Good thing it's a team battle, ne?"

"During the game, it'll be a cruel fight where you can use your Quirks. But it's still a cavalry battle. You'll get a red card for attacks that are trying to make people fall on purpose! You'll be removed immediately!" Midnight continued.

"Tch," Bakugo scoffed.

"Now, you have 15 minutes to build your teams. Start!"

"Okay, 15 minute break time for me! I'm going to grab some snacks! How about you, Hotaru-chan?" Ayame stood up to stretch, looking at Hotaru curiously.

"I-I'll stay to save your spot," Hotaru smiled.

Ayame blinked. There wasn't really a need for a spot to save… She noticed Hotaru glancing nervously on stage, eyeing a specific person in general and Ayame decided to keep quiet. With a small giggle, she turned around to leave the booth.

Only to stop immediately at the sight of her class representatives.

"W-what are you guys doing here?!" Ayame gaped at Takarada and Yuu.

Yuu waved kindly while Takarada looked bored. "Is it a crime to be here?"

"W-well no," Ayame whispered to herself, "B-but this is the first-year's stage!"

"Yes, Sasaki. Very observant."

Ayame glared at him but Yuu quickly stepped in to mediate. "We were curious after your praises of them. I can see why you're so excited for the first years."

"Well as you can see," Ayame motioned behind her, "They've proven quite a lot during the first game. I'm sure the second game and the tournament would be just as spectacular!"

"They're definitely faring better than you," Takarada casually commented.

Ayame clenched her fist and stormed up to the stands. She was standing above Takarada's seated form but even then, she could barely glare down at him. This jerk. She's going to do her best in their battles, too!

"Takarada, want to make a little bet? If I win the tournament, you're going to admit I'm better than your stuck-up ass!"

He paused for a second; letting those words roll over his mind and decided to refuse. Takarada stood up to look down on Ayame, yet his father's words echoed in his mind.

" _When_ I win," Takarada paused for one second to let the words linger above her head, "You will demote to 1-A."

"What the hell?!"

"Hey…Noeru, that's a little extreme," Yuu spoke up again.

"At least I'm not forcing her to drop out."

Yuu paused by those words, looking at his friend with a small sigh and decided to say nothing else. It felt like Takarada was just taking his frustrations out on poor Ayame and—she was falling deeply into the bait.

"Whatever!" Ayame gave up, "I'm going to win anyways! I'm not afraid of you!"

Wanting to have the last words in, Ayame turned around and stormed out of the booth.

 _That stupid class pres! I'll show him!_

* * *

Fifteen minutes was barely enough time for Ayame to grab an order of takoyaki and two chicken skewers, running back to the 2-A booth in the first-year's stage. When she returned, the class representatives were not there anymore, much to her relief. Hotaru welcomed her back brightly, quickly informing Ayame of the teams formed while she was gone and Ayame offered a skewer and a few takoyaki balls to her friend.

"Ah—we're not late, are we?"

A familiar voice reached their ears and they turned to see two fellow classmates run in. The one that had spoken was Natsumi, crimson eyes meeting lilac and neon ones in greeting. Next to the short girl was Usagi, her grey bunny ears twitching in excitement from all the noise.

"Nope! Just on time!" Ayame welcomed them brightly and motioned to the seats next to her. "I didn't know you guys wanted to watch too!"

"W-we got distracted by the festival," Usagi admitted sheepishly, "Or else we would be here earlier."

"I saw some broadcast outside though," Natsumi brushed her shoulder length white hair back, "I guess 1-A isn't just all talk."

"Of course not!" Ayame boosted, "They're my precious kouhais! I, of course, have helped them with their training, too!"

Hotaru and Usagi giggled.

"Y-you sound like their mother," Hotaru said. Ayame froze; she thought the same thing too!

"Or an eccentric aunt," Natsumi jested playfully.

"H-hey!"

The three other girls laughed at the pout on Ayame's face before quietly settling down. After all, the event was about to begin. They won't have time to laugh and joke like this once it begins and—Ayame silently thought to herself, _we may be enemies after._

Present Mic began to count down with the timer. From what they can see, there were about 12 teams formed for the cavalry battle. All of them nearly have a team of four but there were a few two-person and three-person teams.

Ayame found Todoroki's red and white hair easily now that there were fewer students around. He was obviously the rider for his group of Yayorozu, Kaminari, and Iida?! She blinked; why was Iida on his team? Wouldn't he be with Midoriya's team?

She looked over to where Midoriya was and found Ochako and Tokoyami to be his teammates. There was also that eccentric pink haired girl from the obstacle race to support him on the side.

"Why is Iida-kun on another team?" Ayame wandered out loud.

"I-I-I don't know," Hotaru answered softly, "T-they did approach him but…I-I couldn't hear why…he rejected them."

"Hmm…" Ayame patted Hotaru's back, "It's okay, I'm sure they're not fighting."

"Eh? I-I wasn't thinking anything along that line!"

"Hey, it's starting," Natsumi pointed below and everyone turned their attention back on stage.

As soon as it began, all of the teams aimed for Midoriya's. And, as expected, Midoriya began to fly away. There was a jetpack attached to him from behind and Hotaru had quickly explained it was the support class pink-haired student, Hatsume Mei, whom gave it to him.

Even in midair, Jirou used her earphone jack to chase behind him. However, Dark Shadow was a tad quickly and intercepted within a flash.

"Ahh, that Dark Shadow sure is strong!" Ayame cheered, "Everyone! You can do it!"

"S-so he's the one you mentioned before with a shadow living within him," Usagi noted, "T-they're all so strong…"

" **Now then, even though barely two minutes have passed since we've started; it's already turned into a free-for-all! Fights over the headbands breaking out all over! Ignoring the ten million points and going for second to fourth places isn't bad, either!** " Present Mic commentated.

"Second to fourth…" Natsumi repeated that phase, "So there may only be four out of twelve teams to pass. The smarter ones would try to secure that position instead of chasing that wild ten million around."

"Ahh, how exciting!" Ayame giggled and ate another takoyaki ball, watching the event unfold right before her eyes.

Two teams were aiming for Midoriya again. One consisted of Class 1-B members she does not recognize while another was—just Shoji? No—she heard the maniacal laughter within to recognize it as Mineta and a long pink tongue darting out from Shoji's back to realize it was Tsuyu.

" **Team Mineta makes use of the overwhelming difference in their sizes! They're like a tank!** " Present Mic announced Mineta's attack of purple balls and frog tongue. Midoriya was barely able to dodge the onslaught of attack and tried to use the jetpack again even with a damage boot.

A large explosion shot off from the ground again and the familiar ash blonde blur flew towards Midoriya. Bakugo aimed his fist towards the boy, trying to grab the headband but Dark Shadow quickly defended. Ayame winced for the shadow for blocking the attack, noticing the painful cry it let out and remembering the weakness Tokoyami had told her before.

"Dark Shadow won't do well against Kacchan…" Ayame sighed. "But on another note—is that allowed?! Is that still counted as a rider?! He basically flew off the cavalry!"

Sero quickly used his tape to catch Bakugo and rewind him back on their team of Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido. Ayame noticed that Sero was proficient in fishing his teammates, giggling to herself at how he had saved her with the same tactic too.

"It's a technicality, so it's okay!" Midnight answered everyone's question regarding Bakugo's strategy. "It wouldn't have been if he'd touched the ground, though!"

" **It's been seven minutes! Here are the current rankings up on the screen!** "

"W-wow, time flew by fast," Hotaru said.

Everyone turned to the screen displaying the team ranking. A stunned silence followed the crowd and—even Present Mic when they realized half of the team had zero points. They gaped on the screen, wondering if it was a technical error but…

" **Other than Midoriya, Class A isn't doing so well…** " Present Mic lost his usual flare to comment hesitantly.

"W-wait—Team Bakugo?!" Ayame pointed to the 7th team, "Kacchan lost his points?!"

A blonde rider stole the headband right from Bakugo's eyes. They turned towards the two teams standing still as they discussed amongst themselves. Ayame nearly discarded her food to lean over, wanting to hear what they say.

"Before we get Deku…let's kill all these guys!"

Ayame sweated. "O-out of the whole conversation…"

"T-that's the only part…we heard?" Usagi finished nervously.

"That Bakugo kid is quite funny," Natsumi laughed.

"Hah?! You call that funny?!" Ayame gaped at her.

" **Less than half the time is left now!** " Present Mic's enthusiasm returned tenfold, " **The cavalry battle is about to enter the second half! In this unexpected rise of Class B, who will wear the ten million points in the end?!** "

Once again, the majority of the groups turned their attention to Midoriya. Not only was Todoroki aiming for him but, four other teams in total were running towards Midoriya. Suddenly, lightning sparks began to bolt from Todoroki's team, everyone's attention turned towards Kaminari's powerful attack.

But, even seeing cannot defend against his omnipotent electricity. Dark Shadow suffered a huge blow from the lightning while Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Iida had blocked it with an insulation she made. Todoroki froze the conductor spear from Yaoyorozu's body and spread to the other team's legs, keeping them in place.

" **Todoroki took care of that crowd of teams in an instant!** "

"Haah…it seems no matter what he does, it's impressive," Natsumi sighed.

"Mhmm," Ayame hummed quietly. Hotaru glanced at the brunette. For some reason, Ayame was not as energetic whenever Todoroki was involved.

" **He froze them after Kaminari's shock stopped them… I guess it should be expected but he took into account of how a lot of people avoided it in the obstacle course.** "

"Ah, oji-san is commenting for once," Ayame looked towards the sound room.

"I-I'm still surprised you're related to Aizawa-sensei…" Hotaru glanced at Ayame again; she never told anyone about that.

"A-aha yeah," Ayame rubbed the back of her head, "It's not much though. He still treat me the same as everyone else!"

" **Team Midoriya has nowhere left to go!** "

They turned back to the battle on hand. Rows of ice had surrounded Midoriya during Ayame's distraction. His team was forced on the edge of the stage with ice surrounding him on both sides. In front, Todoroki's team was blocking their escape.

"Oi, does that kid have the same Quirk as Bakugo?" Natsumi pointed.

"Huh?"

Ayame turned her attention back to Bakugo's side. The other blonde's hand was sizzling with smoke as Bakugo's would. Bakugo quickly retaliate his attack, another smoke and explosion clouded the two teams. But when the smoke cleared, the other boy looked just as strong as Kirishima.

"W-wait—this isn't right…" Ayame knew Class 1-A's Quirk and there's a very low chance the other class would have the exact same ones!

"It's a copy Quirk," Natsumi realized, "He touched them before copying their Quirks."

"Ahh! Another troublesome opponent!" Ayame sighed, "Kacchan! Don't give up!"

A splash of white goo attacked Bakugo's team and cemented Kirishima on place. Another Class 1-B team ran forward to chase after their classmates, leaving Bakugo behind with them unable to move. From her distance, Ayame could see the twisted grin on Bakugo's face and she couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry for him.

"Kacchan! You can't lose!" Ayame cheered loudly.

" **One minute left!** "

"Wha?! Already?!" Usagi and Hotaru gasped.

" **Todoroki made it so he'd have the ten million to himself to seize in an instant! At least, that's what I thought five minutes ago! But unbelievable, Midoriya's been able to keep away in that cramped space for five minutes!** "

"Woah, seriously?!" Ayame turned back to Midoriya. It was so hard to keep track of all the teams!

"I-Iida-kun…is preparing something," Hotaru said softly.

"Huh? How do you know?" Ayame glanced at her friend yet turned her attention back to Iida.

The other boy was slightly hunched over, the engine in his leg roared loudly and suddenly—they disappeared. Wait no—that's not right—Iida was so fast that—it looked like he disappeared! He forced his team to go forward before Midoriya can defend and—Todoroki took his headband!

"Iida-kun!" Hotaru cheered.

"W-wha—Deku-kun!" Ayame gasped in surprise.

" **What happened? So fast! So fast!** " Even Present Mic was surprised, " **Iida, if you could accelerate that fast then show us in the prelims!** "

"T-there must be drawback after," Hotaru said softly, "Or else…he wouldn't have used it…"

"Deku-kun! You guys can do it! You won't be last!" Ayame yelled again; he's at zero points! There's no way he can lose after all of this!

" **Team Bakugo seizes two headbands and move to third place!** "

"Haah?! Again?!" Ayame whirled back to look at Bakugo, eyes spinning in circles. "There's so much going on!"

Team Bakugo continued to chase after Monoma. He seemed to be yelling to his teammates about something. Ayame gripped the railing tightly to lean over to watch. Sero launched his tape in front of the other team, purposely missing while Ashido laid down a puddle of acid for them to slide on. Bakugo's hand exploded behind them and launched them forward.

The other team defended with the solid air but Bakugo was stronger. With one powerful stroke, he smashed through the barrier and grabbed onto the remaining two headbands. Ayame cheered loudly for him.

" **Bakugo is merciless! If he's gonna do it, he's gonna be thorough! He's, you know, a perfectionist!** "

"Perfectionist?!" Ayame laughed, "No way! They just provoked the worst person ever! Kacchan won't let anyone beat him!"

" **Now, there are only seconds left!** "

Team Todoroki was the one now with ten million points but it looked as though they could not move after Iida's sudden burst of speed. Everyone turned back to the two teams still fighting, Ochako urging everyone on to run forward.

Midoriya's veins on his hand began to glow the same, bright pink color Ayame had seen before. She leaned over the railing again, wanting to see what the last minute of the competition will be like. She doesn't want to see Midoriya's team lose but also—she wanted Todoroki's team to have a good standing!

And suddenly, Todoroki's left hand burst in flames.

Ayame gaped and nearly fell off if it wasn't for Hotaru and Natsumi to stabilize her. But she couldn't thank her friends yet—not when—Todoroki—has a second Quirk?! Her lilac eyes widen dramatically and her mind was a jumbled mess when she remembered the shocking truth she had learned today.

 _He's really…Endeavor's son…_

Midoriya's glowing hand moved to Todoroki and with a quick swipe, Todoroki's left hand was pushed backwards from the force and the flames extinguished. He looked just as shocked by the sudden movement and in his distraction, Midoriya moved to grab the headbands around his neck.

"I got it," Midoriya gasped, "I got it!"

Ayame screamed after her shock had passed. "Deku-kun!"

" **With just eleven seconds left, there's an angry retrieval here, too!** "

But wait—the scoreboard above only showed Team Midoriya with 70 points. Natsumi pointed the low number to the rest of the girls and they turned back to the two teams below. Team Midoriya looked just as shocked by the wrong headband. Todoroki looked distracted, clutching his left arm in confusion and distraught.

" **Oh no! Team Midoriya didn't retrieve the ten million points!** " Present Mic screamed. " **Time's just about up! Start the countdown!"**

"Tokoyami-kun!"

"Kaminari!"

Dark Shadow moved to attack the other team but Todoroki quickly covered them with the insulation. Another electric discharged was released from Kaminari but it was weaker this time, scaring off Dark Shadow from the light.

"Damn Deku!"

Bakugo flew out of nowhere to join the battle, his teammates chasing after him. Ayame looked between the three teams; they're fighting down till the last second!

"Uraraka-san!"

"Got it!"

Iida's engine stalled and Yaoyorozu quickly created a spear for Todoroki. Bakugo noticed the attack on the other team and moved in Todoroki's direction.

"Half-and-half Bastard!"

Everyone watched in anticipation between the three teams. Ayame knew those three would end up being rivals but—this was just too much! The tension was eating her up and—this was just a cavalry battle!

" **Time's up!** "

Bakugo fall flat on his face.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

" **That's the end of the second round, the cavalry battle!** "

"I can't believe it! They were so close!" Ayame screamed, "Deku-kun! Kacchan! Are you guys alright?!"

Her screams were drowned out by the crowd but even then, they both looked frustrated. Ayame turned her attention to Todoroki, hesitantly opening her mouth to call out to him but—said nothing in the end.

 _I-I'll go talk to him after…_ Ayame thought as an excuse.

" **Now, let's take a look at the top four teams right away!** " Present Mic brought everyone's attention onto the score board.

First Place: Team Todoroki

Second Place: Team Bakugo

Third Place: Team Shinso

Ayame blinked at the third team. Wait—who's Team Shinso? She glanced at the third team consisting of Ojiro, Aoyama, and two boys she does not recognize. One was a Class 1-B student while the other boy with fluffy purple hair…wasn't he in the general department?

"I barely noticed them…" Usagi said quietly.

"Uh huh…" Ayame agreed; she was more focused on the three rivaled teams than others.

Fourth Place: Team Midoriya

Ayame turned back with a gasp and yelled. "Deku-kun! You guys did it! Toko-kun! Great job!"

Ochako took notice of her upperclassman's support and turned with a huge wave. Midoriya looked absolutely shaken by the results and bawled, tears gushing out of his eyes like a fountain. Ayame laughed loudly again but felt proud and emotional for them.

" **These four teams…will advance…to the final round!** "

"Yayy!" Ayame waved wildly, "Good job, you guys! Kacchan! Thanks for the entertainment! And To—"

Ayame stopped herself mid-sentence, slapping a hand over her mouth and began to sweat. It was almost natural for her to cheer for the other boy too yet—thinking about Todoroki was giving her a slight panic. She doesn't know how to talk to him normally again!

 _What if he hated that nickname?! Is that why he dislikes me—oh no I'm an idiot! It's much easier dealing with Kacchan since he says what's on his mind but—I don't know what Totoro—Todoroki—what_ _ **he's**_ _thinking of!_

In her mental panic, Ayame did not notice heterochromia eyes glancing at her once, before quickly looking away.

"Wow, Endeavor's kid is pretty amazing, huh?!"

"He was second in the race but—look how well he snatched that ten million point away!"

"Amazing!"

"As expected of his son!"

Ayame turned to the audience with a slight frown. It wasn't that she's upset with their praises but—why couldn't they say it without any comparison? Why must they compare their parents or sibling together—and not—

" _Wow, Yume! A perfect score again! As expected of my daughter!"_

" _Yume-san was the perfect U.A. role model, you know. Are you going to follow her footsteps?"_

" _S-sasaki-san! C-can we get an autograph from LullaCry?!"_

" _I guess your sister is the pride of the family, huh?"_

" _What about you?"_

Ayame clenched her fists and turned around.

"I'm going to go congratulate them! I'll see you guys later!" Ayame called behind her.

"Oi! Don't forget we're starting soon!" Natsumi yelled back.

"I know!"

In a flash, Ayame left the booth. Hotaru sighed in the disappearing girl's direction and Usagi patted Hotaru's back reassuringly.

"Let's get ready, Hotaru-chan."

Natsumi sighed. "That Ayame, always running off on her own."

* * *

In the end, Ayame decided to congratulate Todoroki too. It would be more awkward to avoid him so—she must see him at least once!

She had an idea on where the students may be leaving the stadium from and decided to go see all of them. Present Mic had said there would be a one hour break for lunch before the tournament officially begins for the first-years.

"Oii! You guys! Congrats!"

"Senpai!"

Ayame laughed at the dazed look on Kaminari's face, giving him a little pat on the back before hopping to the girls.

"You guys did so well!" She cheered, "Don't be too frustrated, okay?"

"Ahh, it's so hard not to feel that way," Jirou sighed and rubbed her neck, "We lost our headband right from the beginning."

"Cheer up, Jirou-san," Yaoyorozu smiled, "There are still other festivities planned for us!"

"Mhmm!" Ayame nodded her head. "Oh, right, Iida-kun! Why were you on Team Todoroki?"

"I wanted to challenge myself…and Midoriya-kun," Iida answered honestly, "Since the entrance exam… he had been continuously surpassing me. That was why—he is also my rival! I saved that special move just for him!"

Ayame blinked at his charge but smiled regardless, happy that this 'three-way' rival somehow turned into four. It seemed that what Aizawa said before was true. The classmates are challenging against each other and getting worked up all on their own. Seeing their classmates being strong was encouragement for them to not be left behind!

"Keep it up, Iida-kun!" Ayame cheered.

"By the way, senpai," Ochako turned to Ayame curiously, "When does your event start?"

Ayame grabbed the phone from her pocket to check the time, "In less than 15 minutes! Oh no—I wanted to see Deku-kun or Todoroki-kun before I leave—wait, where are they?"

Ochako peered at Ayame with her wide, brown eyes, silently wondering the change of name for their silent classmate. Her upperclassman had called him by the 'Totoro' nickname for so long that it was more of a shock to hear her say his _real_ name. Ochako wondered if what Todoroki had said to Ayame before bothered her.

"Todoroki-san left with Midoriya-san as soon as the event finished," Yaoyorozu answered, "I did not see where they were headed."

"Hmm…" Ayame tapped her chin, "I'm going to try looking for them!"

"But what about your event?!" Jirou gasped.

"Don't worry! I'll make it on time!" Ayame gave a peace sign.

"Ayame-senpai! We'll cheer for you too!" Ochako said resolutely.

"Yes! You have encouraged us for ours—so we will try to stay as long as we can, too!" Iida agreed.

"Okay!" Ayame grinned, "I'll show you how strong I am!"

* * *

Todoroki Shoto was the boy born with everything.

He was related to the Number Two Pro Hero, Endeavor. He had _two_ , unique Quirks that people could only _dream_ of having. He was intelligent and steadfast; a tactician, and leader. Todoroki Shoto had what Midoriya wanted to be as a child.

At least, on the surface, that was what Midoriya believed.

But he grew up in a world vastly different from Midoriya. Quirk marriages, overbearing father, scarred by his own mother… Todoroki Shoto's sole purpose of being born—was to carry on Endeavor's will to surpass All Might. He was becoming a hero but not for the same reasons as Midoriya.

If their end goal was the same, why was their path so different?

 _The world he talked about was so different that honestly, I was scared. I thought about how it could be so different for us even if we were aiming for the same thing._

"No matter what you are to All Might, I will rise above you with just my right side. Sorry for wasting your time."

Todoroki began to walk away, leaving Midoriya with the aftermath of his cold intimidation. Even when his mismatched eyes were not glaring at him, Midoriya still felt his inside twist around nervously by his sheer power and force.

 _If this were a comic, he'd be the main character… That was the kind of back story he had._

Midoriya clenched his fists.

 _Compared to that, what can I say?_

"I—!" He chased after him, "I have always been supported by others. That was the case earlier, too. I am here because of the people who have supported me. All Might…I want to be like him. In order to do that, I have to be strong enough to become number one. My motivation might seem trivial compared to yours, but I can't lose, either."

Todoroki turned to glance at him, waiting for Midoriya to finish.

"I have to live up to the hopes of those who supported me. That declaration of war you gave earlier—I'll return that. I will beat you, too!"

Todoroki said nothing in return and walked away.

Midoriya watched his back leave, determined and willful. Even if his ambitions were not as complex as Todoroki's, their will to become number one was the same. Todoroki may be pushing everyone away just to focus on his goal whereas Midoriya had relied on everyone to reach where he was now. But, he wants to continue to push further, go beyond his limits.

 _And…_

Off in the distance, a girl hopped over to the half-and-half boy. Her light brown hair was pulled back in the usual braided bun, lilac eyes shining in excitement with the usual smile. She greeted Todoroki with the same fervor as before and walked alongside him.

 _If this was a comic book…wouldn't Ayame-senpai become the light for him?_

Midoriya was stunned by his own thoughts, dark eyes staring at the backs of Todoroki and Ayame.

* * *

"To-to-ro-do-roki-kun!"

Ayame nearly slapped herself. In her flustered dilemma of calling out to the boy's name, she became a stuttering mess instead! She put the smile back onto her face, hoping he would not catch onto her mistake.

Todoroki regarded Ayame with the same blank look. It had done nothing to quell Ayame's nerves as she continued to walk with him, knowing it was what he _didn't_ want her to do.

"Y-you were amazing out there!" She cursed herself for stuttering, "You must have trained hard, right? Was it Endeavor who—"

" _Sasaki-senpai_ ," Todoroki cut her off abruptly and there was a glare within his heterochromia eyes in her direction. Ayame resisted the flinch from his cold tone, thinking that she had said the wrong thing again.

"I'm sorry!" Ayame quickly apologized, "I-I know, it's none of my business and I don't think before I speak but I honestly—wanted to congratulate you!"

Todoroki continued to frown yet he made no indication to speak again. Ayame walked next to him, pursing her lips to try and— _think_ —as to not offend him again. Based on the reaction he had when she mentioned his father, Ayame had a suspicion they don't get along.

"I know—nothing I say will change your mind," Ayame began, calmer this time as she glanced at him, "But you worked well—with your teammates during the cavalry battle. Even if you don't want to, I think—you'll want to work with the rest of your classmates, too!"

 _T-this may be a better strategy, right?_ Ayame hoped, glancing at the quiet boy nervously.

"I don't understand why you're trying so hard," Todoroki finally said, eyes returning Ayame's nervous glances. He stopped walking at this time and Ayame followed, waiting for him to continue. "So I'll make it clear to you. My goal is to surpass All Might with only my right side; nothing else matters beyond that."

He brushed past Ayame again, cold and distant as always.

"I won't give my old man the satisfaction of seeing my left side." He turned to glance at her with one, cold grey eye, "You wouldn't understand what it's like to be related to a Pro Hero like him."

A simpleton; that was all Todoroki could see Ayame as. She had the loving, caring family he had always envied. Her sister had personally come to see her after USJ. Every time Ayame spoke of her sisters, there was a proud and loved sparkle in her eyes.

Only children who had grown up in a loving home would be as naive and cheery like her. Ayame was the complete opposite of Shoto. He had his warmth ripped away from him since young and could only rely on the cold his mother left behind.

"Hah?"

Ayame looked at him with parted lips.

Was he serious?

"You—pompous brat!"

Ayame had enough, rushing forward to grab his shoulder and spun him around. Once again, she was silently thankful they were around the same heights as she met heterochromia eyes straight on with lilac eyes.

"Stop thinking with your one-track mind for a second and listen! I know you hate your father and don't want to use the same Quirk as him! I know you must hate being compared to him! But if you actually think for one moment I'm not constantly compared to Yume-nee then you're wrong! I also hate the whispers behind my back, the mindless comments to my face, and I hate how I don't have the same Quirk as her! You think I _don't_ understand what it's like to be related to a Pro Hero?!"

For once, Todoroki was stunned silent. He resisted the urge to move back from her outburst, standing his ground and meeting her gaze straight on. Ayame looked red from her confession but it wasn't from embarrassment. She was still so angry—angry and upset that he wouldn't give them a chance.

"Your circumstances and mine are different," Todoroki managed to reply, narrowing his eyes on her. "You're only frustrated with your inability to separate yourself from your sister."

"Then _watch_ me!" Ayame grabbed his collar roughly, "I'll prove to you—that I'm more than what anyone says! I'll prove to you that I'm different than what you or anyone else believes me to be!"

Ayame let him go with a huff and turned around to walk away. She paused to glance behind her, one fist raised up angrily at him.

"The second-years are starting in 5 minutes. I'll show you that people can change—starting with me! Just watch me!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

For someone that has to prepare for a wedding in one week, I sure stress-write a lot.

Okay so I know this was only the first-year's side of the story now but Ayame needed to be there to see their improvement. It's a lot of filler this chapter so I tried to make it longer with the ending but, the next chapter will focus heavily on the second-year's game.

Takarada and Todoroki are still such jerks but, it won't be for long…hopefully! Ayame is a little hot-headed and doesn't think when she speaks so she will definitely regret what she said to Todoroki in the end. But for now, let's just enjoy the upcoming battles!

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedbacks last chapter! It really made me feel so motivated and happy to write! I know it would be too much to ask for every chapter but I appreciate all and any review you may take the time to write out for me.

Also, thank you **Rynxenvy** and **Momochan77** for letting me use your cutie OCs! I'm still accepting them for now for the sports festival!

Once again, check out **PrivateCardy** (Instagram) for AyameShoto art!

Thank you again! And, share your thoughts with me! Reviews are much loved!


	10. Battle Royale

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

" _Yes, finally!"_

 _Ayame shot up from the couch in excitement, both hands clutching a rectangular electronic with loud music blasting through._

" _I finally beat this boss!"_

" _How long did that take?" Yume asked from the kitchen, sleeves rolled up to her elbow and a pink apron over her regular clothes._

" _Like an hour!" Ayame exclaimed and quickly sat back down, lying down on the couch to play her video game again. "I think I'm almost done with this game. There's still about five levels left before the second to last boss and—"_

" _Oi, shouldn't you be training?"_

" _Eep!"_

 _Ayame got up from the couch to hide behind it, wide lilac eyes peeked at her uncle who just entered. Shiko was holding Aizawa's arm as she followed behind, laughing quietly at her daughter's reaction._

" _Oji-san, are you staying for dinner?" Yume greeted with a smile, "We're having curry tonight."_

" _How can I say no to a free meal?" Aizawa smirked. He turned his attention to the brunette head slowly trying to crawl away, arching one brow in Ayame's direction. "Oi, are you trying to escape?"_

 _Ayame quickly stood up and shook her head, short brown hair moving with her. "O-of course not!"_

" _Ayame, didn't you say U.A.'s Sports Festival was coming up?" Shiko sighed at her daughter. Yume had always been more ambitious and academic of the sisters. Although Suzume was too young to comprehend the complexity of school, she still caused quite a commotion when her Quirk manifested._

 _ **Meanwhile…Ayame…**_ _Shiko sighed for her middle child;_ _ **she doesn't seem interested in anything except…games and comics.**_

" _Yeah! And I was training hard at school!" Ayame defended, "I was just taking a break now!"_

" _Then let's continue your training," Aizawa smiled yet Ayame felt a shiver run down her spine. He guided Shiko to the couch before heading over to Ayame, dragging her out to their backyard. "Your summons disappears too easily so I'm going to keep beating them up until one can withstand three hits."_

" _Three?!"_

" _Do you want to make it five?" Aizawa turned to glare at her._

" _Three it is!" Ayame quickly compromised, "But you gotta cheer for me then, Shouta-oji! Even though you're our homeroom teacher, I'm still your niece!"_

" _We'll see."_

* * *

 _In the end, I didn't even pass the qualifier round._ Ayame thought bitterly, _Shouta-oji couldn't even cheer for me. If I had trained harder—if I had done better—then—then—!_

Then, what? Nothing would have changed for Ayame. She would still feel bitter and upset at herself because Takarada or someone else may beat her later on. She'd only feel frustrated with herself and her Quirk.

She had always given up easily once Ayame realized the vast difference between her and Yume. No matter what Ayame did, it never felt enough to be proud over. Not when Yume had already accomplished all that and _more_. How can Ayame stand out against that? How can people not think of Yume when Ayame was basically the spitting image of her?

" _You're only frustrated with your inability to separate yourself from your sister."_

He was right.

As always, Todoroki was right.

Ayame had been stuck in Yume's shadow for so long that she had just…given up. What was the point in even trying when Yume was _so much better_?

Ah, Ayame had been just too naïve.

Because she had stopped trying, she was easily defeated and overwhelmed by the villains at USJ. Because Ayame had always been naïve and simple, she never considered the possibility of being _devastated_ by fear in front of villains. It wasn't until after did Ayame realize, she was weak.

Weak, useless, _pathetic_.

She had done nothing to protect the students, to protect her sensei—her _uncle_. Ayame was immobilized after one hit and stopped. She lied on the ground, weak and feeble as she cried while watching Aizawa be beaten and—she could do nothing. Her uncle had to be the one to protect her again and again. The students had end up coming to her rescue.

And Ayame felt so _pathetic_.

 _No more_ , Ayame clenched her fists, _I won't cry again. I'm going to beat Takarada's smug face and prove to Todoroki that people can change_.

"Senpai looks different…doesn't she?" Ochako whispered to Midoriya from their booth in Class 1-A.

Nearly all of their classmates had come to watch their upperclassman's match. After Jirou and Yaoyorozu had informed them the second-years were to start soon, they quickly got their lunch in boxes and ran to the stage.

"Let's cheer her on!" Ashido waved her pink arm around, "Ayame-senpai!"

" _Ganbatte_!" Kirishima and Kaminari cheered.

"A-Ayame-senpai!" Midoriya called out.

"You can do it!" Ochako and Hagakure yelled.

Hotaru giggled and tapped Ayame's shoulder, bringing her attention back to reality with wide eyes. Hotaru pointed towards 1-A's booth and Ayame followed the finger, lilac eyes widening even more to see nearly the whole class there. She started to feel emotional and choked up to see her kouhais cheering for her.

With a big smile, Ayame waved back proudly and jumped up and down. She won't let them see her sad ever again! She will prove to them that she was strong, too!

Hesitantly, Ayame looked towards the other stands but could not see the odd red and white hair combination. Nor did she see familiar brunette hair or her parents. Quickly, Ayame ignored those thoughts to focus back onto the remaining announcements for the second-years to enter.

"Welcome, everyone, to U.A. High School's second year's competition!" Soharu Ume was the broadcaster for their year, similar to Midnight's job from earlier. "Let's have the number one student start it off with a pledge! Takarada Noeru-san, if you may!"

 _Of course it would be him_ , Ayame stared at Takarada.

Takarada made his way up to the podium with a straight back and measured steps. There were a few cheers from the girls nearby Ayame and she nearly rolled her eyes. Instead, she focused on the blank face of the class president. She doesn't plan to lose against him!

"I pledge—" _to win_ ; Takarada paused, remembering the outrageous pledge from the first-year earlier. Well, even if he has the same opportunity, he won't be as stupid. "To give an exciting show from us second-years."

Simple and easy. He left after the few applause from the stadium and brushed past Ayame, not once glancing in her direction.

"Well then! Let's begin!" Ume pointed to the giant monitor on stage. "This game will be the most important one!"

The screen was showing multiple colors of the games being rolled away, everyone watching in anticipation. It finally stopped on a red and black screen, the words 'BATTLE ROYALE' was printed in bold.

"Battle royale?" Hotaru tilted her head.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Usagi said quietly.

"It's been one year since you've all studied at U.A. This will be a test whether or not you can battle against villains!" Ume explained, "For this year, we've decided to only have one qualifier game. 'Battle Royale', as you can see, will test your abilities to survive until the end against each other!"

"Whoa—seriously?!"

"That's so much better than ours!" Bakugo yelled in outrage.

"K-kacchan?!" Midoriya gasped at the ash blonde boy, "Y-you're here?!"

"Why can't I be here?!" Bakugo turned to glare at Midoriya, "Besides, that crybaby-senpai has strong classmates. I want to see them fight!"

"Maybe he's actually here to cheer for her secretly," Kirishima sniggered.

"Shut it, weird-hair!"

"But! We will not be completely heartless!" Ume's voice cut through the chatter. She held out a thick silver bracelet for everyone to see. "All the students will have a partner. This bracelet will pair you up with the first person you meet and your partner cannot be changed! The goal is to break the enemies' bracelet in order to survive. If you or your partner's bracelets are broken, then you're out!"

At that explanation, Ume clenched her fingers and the bracelet broke easily. Everyone started to mutter against themselves at the brittle metal.

"Wait, Ume-sensei!" Natsumi raised a hand, "You said 'the first person we meet'. Does that mean we won't be fighting here?"

"Correct!" Ume smiled, "You'll all be launched into a forest as soon as everyone gets a bracelet!"

"L-launched?"

Yuu chuckled, turning to the stoic Noeru with a kind smile. "Let's hope we can be partners."

"Hm," Takarada glanced in Ayame's direction. "You'll be the only one I trust to not slow me down."

"There will be a time limit of 30 minutes! Either the last 16 teams to survive will advance to the next stage—or the top 16 teams with the highest score will advance after the time limit!"

"So there will only be 32 people for the tournament round…" Ayame said softly.

"It's literally…a battle royale… In order to accumulate points…they are forced to fight others," Midoriya analyzed.

"Would senpai…be okay?" Ochako asked hesitantly.

"Of course she will be!" Iida reassured, "Don't you remember from our training exercise? She's stronger than she looks!"

"Un!" Midoriya agreed.

"Form five orderly lines! We will attach the bracelets on you now!"

Ayame got in line with her fellow classmates, trying to stay calm. Thirty minutes may sound like a long time but in reality, it wouldn't be. They won't know what type of area they will be thrown in and—who would become their partners. It was really…draw of the luck.

 _There are around 200 students out of the second-years… So there would be… at least 100 teams_ , Ayame glanced around her fellow second-years. _Only two classes are hero class…but the others should have been taught a little regarding combat and Quirks._

Ayame smiled wryly to herself.

 _U.A. is going all out this year, huh?_

A few rows over, Todoroki looked down on the stage with a blank face. He had managed to avoid his father so far and he knew for certain Endeavor would not think of coming to the second-year's stage. There was about 50 minutes left before the first-years start their event again. Meaning, they will be able to watch their qualifier round first.

" _I'll prove to you—that I'm more than what anyone says! I'll prove to you that I'm different than what you or anyone else believes me to be!"_

Todoroki frowned.

He couldn't understand why he ended up listening to her. Somehow, his feet had taken him to the second-year's stage. Rather than joining his classmate's booth close to the front, he waited near the back, far enough so the others won't see him yet—close enough to watch the stage.

 _Though they won't even be here_ , Todoroki thought, glancing at the giant televisions decorated around the stage.

His mismatched eyes focused back on Ayame instead. She was rubbing the silver bracelet on her right wrist, a serious expression on her face the whole time. A second later, she looked up towards the audience, searching for something—or some _one_. She had waved to the 1-A booth briefly before turning her attention back to the massive crowd, scanning over him once.

Todoroki blinked as her eyes moved away from him.

But she turned her head around just as fast. From his distance, Todoroki could see the shock on her face as she looked in his direction. And then slowly, Ayame rose up a fist, lips moving to say three words.

" _Just watch me."_

* * *

Everyone gathered together on a rectangular pad as soon as the students have a bracelet. A majority of them looked nervous yet the hero classes looked confident. For once, Ayame wasn't making a big show or anything. She was focused on what she needed to do. There was a lot riding on this competition, after all.

"Good luck, everyone!" Ume smiled, "The bracelet will start working as soon as you land. Let's hope you can land safely!"

With that, she pressed a button and the pad sprang upwards.

All of the students flew up, shouts and screaming echoing around her from the chaotic bodies. Ayame glanced around and realized everyone was sent to different directions. Below, a forest of trees was awaiting them but—off to the side, she saw a little lake.

 _Let's focus on landing first,_ Ayame reached out a hand and like before, a medium sized tengu appear. She did not want to risk overusing her Quirk yet; the headaches will leave her at a disadvantage. The tengu slowed her descent and Ayame landed softly on the grass, letting her summon disappear.

She rubbed her wrist, carefully holding the silver bracelet. "There should a sign for us to know our partners," Ayame wondered softly, "But…what if we can't find a partner? Will we be eliminated if someone destroys the bracelet?"

She began to sweat and held her right hand close to her heart. _L-let's focus on finding a partner first._

There was a small rustling to her right side and Ayame looked after. It sounded like it came from the lake she had landed next to and, quickly deciding she needed to find a partner fast, she ran in that direction.

The thicket of trees lessened as she neared the lake, stumbling out from the branches and bushes to stare at the lake—or rather, the person in it. Ayame gasped, heat slowly traveling to her cheeks at the sight of a bare, toned back, wet icy hair—and—sky blue eyes turned in her direction.

Both bracelets beeped once and glowed blue. Ayame startled on her wrist, staring at the matching insignia of a star on the bracelet—then turning towards Yuu with wide eyes.

"Looks like we're partners, Ayame-san," Yuu smiled kindly as he raised his hand to show off the glowing blue bracelet with the star symbol.

"Y-yeah," Ayame looked away from his toned abs. _Ah; I can see why the girls like Yuu-kun. But why was he shirtless in the first place?!_

Yuu noticed the flustered expression on the girl's face and chuckled, slowly manipulating the water from his jacket and shrugging it back on. Ayame collected herself in that brief time, stepping away from the depth of the forest towards Yuu. However, Yuu quickly snapped his head in her direction, his eyes sharpening dangerously and raised one hand up.

"Come here."

Ayame blinked in confusion; she never heard Yuu so serious before. But before she can react, a stream of water shot forward towards her yet—it brushed past her face. Ayame whirled around to see a body fall off a tree and quickly, she understood what Yuu meant. She ran to him as he instructed earlier, stopping right at the edge of the lake.

"We're surrounded," he whispered softly to her, eyes scanning the trees for the shadowed bodies.

"I can help!" Ayame was determined. They were partners after all!

"That won't be necessary," Yuu's princely smile returned yet Ayame felt useless again. Why won't he trust her, too?

"You guys from the hero course always act so stuck up," a rowdy voice spoke from the trees.

"The 'Two Princes' of U.A.? Don't make me laugh! We just need to beat your partner!"

"Let's go!"

Dozens of students rushed down from the trees. From what Ayame can see, all of their bracelets were glowing in different colors with odd insignia stamped on. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion; were they ganging up on the hero course first?

"Well, this makes it easier."

Ayame looked up at Yuu yet he was not looking at her. He smiled again but there was a sharp look in his eyes at the other students. The water from the lake shot up and swirled around the students, leaving Ayame and Yuu in the center of the whirlpool. She was amazed by his water manipulation Quirk yet from what she can remember, Yuu cannot freeze water. Only boil it.

The students were drowning and Yuu put his right hand into the water. Ayame can see slight steam beginning to emerge from the whirlpool and the trapped students were struggling to swim away. Her eyes widen when slowly, the metal eroded from the water pressure and yet—Yuu wasn't stopping.

"H-hey, Yuu-kun," Ayame turned to him, "Their bracelets are breaking."

Yuu looked as if he didn't hear her. His eyes widened and a smirk split onto his face. He looked absolutely in control and enthralled by the struggling students that…it was beginning to scare Ayame.

"Yuu-kun!" She grabbed onto his left arm and shook him, bringing icy eyes back to lilac ones. Ayame looked sternly at him and pointed towards the drowning students. "They've had enough!"

"Oh."

The water fell in an instant and the students followed, coughing and hacking out the leftover liquid from their lungs. They looked absolutely angry and upset—almost moving to attack but—couldn't. They don't have a bracelet anymore to allow them to fight.

"Second wave, go!"

A smaller group of students appeared this time yet before Yuu can move again, Ayame activated her Quirk. Dark tendrils of smoke erupted from her body, fast and quick to take the form of a dragon encasing Yuu and Ayame. Although her summons could not talk, they can still impact their surroundings with their ghastly shape and power. With a strong swipe of its arm, it knocked four students to the ground and the other two into each other.

Yuu stared at Ayame silently, hiding the shock from the giant summon she had created. He doesn't remember her to create something bigger than that wolf before. Since when can she make something the size of a small building?

" **41 teams have been knocked out! 63 teams left in the arena!** " Ume's voice echoed the forest.

"Wow! Did you see Shimizu-senpai's Quirk?! He took out 7 teams by himself!" Hagakure waved excitedly.

"C'mon! Senpai was much stronger! Look at that dragon—it's so manly!" Kirishima argued back.

"Damn it! I want to fight in this battle royale too!" Bakugo shook the railing.

"Look—it's the other prince!"

The screen showed Takarada creating crystal spears from the ground to trap a few students together; their arms were sticking out with the glowing bracelet. Natsumi quickly broke the bracelets from the trapped students and gave Takarada an 'okay' sign. Both of their bracelets were glowing bright green with a triangle insignia.

"He's pretty impressive too…" Ojiro said in awe.

"His Quirk reminds me of Todoroki-kun's. The crystal and ice look similar in structure but Takarada-senpai is able to create it within his body too. How much stronger are those gems compared to the raw ones found in mines? What is his limit on them?" Midoriya muttered to himself. "Shimizu-senpai can control water and heat it but can he do the opposite to freeze it? Can he also create water from thin air? What is…"

"Deku-kun is really fired up," Ochako giggled.

* * *

"I think we took care of the students in this area," Yuu glanced around, "Let's see if we can collect more points."

"Ah," Ayame let her dragon disappear, silently relieved there was no headache this time. "I saw most of the students fall that way."

She pointed towards the mountain area and Yuu nodded his head. He began to lead the way and Ayame followed, waving 'bye' to the students still frustrated to have lost, and hopped after Yuu.

"I'm surprised, Ayame-san, you must have improved your Quirk quite a bit," Yuu complimented with his usual, polite tone.

"Ehe…it was about time," she rubbed her head shyly. Ayame glanced at Yuu hesitantly, still thinking about the scene she had seen before…with his wide eyes and odd smirk.

Yuu eyed the short hair on Ayame. It barely reached her shoulders, reminding him of her hair length from last year but—he knew she did not cut it. The elaborate braid and bun was enough proof that Ayame had purposely styled it that way.

 _To differentiate from her sister?_

He smiled gently, "I never complimented your cute new hairstyle, Ayame-san."

Ayame stopped rubbing her head to blink at him. "O-oh! T-thanks!"

Well, she wasn't really expecting Yuu of all people to mention it. It's also been weeks since she changed it. Why mention it now?

 _Ah, Yuu-kun is always so thoughtful._

" **Twenty minutes remaining!** "

"…We should hurry up. We don't know how many points the others have or where they may be. If we took care most of the students in our area, we should try to attack the others," Yuu turned back to their task.

"Oh, right," Ayame nodded and paused, "I think…I have an idea."

Yuu glanced at her. Yes, something had definitely changed with this girl. Before, Ayame wouldn't put in the effort to train—let alone create that giant summon. Now, she's saying she has an idea?

"What is it?" Yuu smiled in encouragement.

"I can get us to the other area faster," Ayame nodded her head, "And—I will be bait to lure others to me. Once we have them grouped up, you can break their bracelets like before." She paused, shaking her head quickly, "Not _exactly_ like before though, okay?"

Yuu knew what she meant. He could only offer an apologetic smile and nodded his head obediently.

"Alright. Then, wait for me there," Ayame pointed to the base of the mountain, "I'll be back soon!"

"Be careful, Ayame-san," Yuu warned, "It's more dangerous when we're separated."

"I know," she smiled, "But I know you can take care of yourself!"

 _I didn't mean me_ , Yuu thought quietly, watching her summon the usual ookami and ran off, _I don't want you to be the reason I lose._

Yuu ran in the direction Ayame pointed in regardless. There was something…different about that girl lately. During the Quirk assessment test on the first day of their second school year, she barely improved during the break. Ayame was still the same old girl who went on about some video games she beat over vacation.

From what he remembered about the little facts he knew about her, Ayame suffered from her insecurity. Being related to LullaCry—and now, Eraser Head, had casted a shadow in her heart. Being compared to her notorious sister had left her feeling lost. Although Yuu knew Ayame would not let it show on the outside, she never once tried to _improve_ herself.

 _Then what changed?_

 _Being an assistant to Aizawa-sensei for the first years? No, that shouldn't be right…_

 _The attack at USJ?_

Yes, that must be it. Ayame was forced to face the villains during that time. She had returned back to school without the same enthusiastic self that even Takarada decided to pointedly _ignore_ her. And now, she showed up to the Sports Festival with a surprising improvement to her Quirk and—even giving _him_ , the number two in their class, directions.

 _Well, it doesn't really matter to me_ , Yuu hid behind some boulders and waited, _I'm not interested to learn more about her sister complex_.

* * *

"After her!"

Ayame commanded the ookami to run faster, right hand held close to her chest to protect the bracelet and the other hand held onto the mane of the wolf. She glanced behind her to see two teams chasing her—it looked like they had formed an alliance.

She could almost see the base of the mountain where she told Yuu to wait at. However, she cannot see any sign of the blue haired boy. Hopefully, he was just hiding and not being taken hostage. Based on her glowing blue bracelet, they were still in the competition.

Suddenly, a swarm of snakes attacked the ghostly wolf. Ayame gasped as she lost control and jumped off the ookami before the snakes could reach her. She rolled forward, barely making it back to the mountain, and stood up to ran.

A scaly rope wrapped around her leg and tripped her, causing Ayame to fall on her face. She turned back to see a snake slowly curling up her leg and four figures emerging from the depth of the forest. Ayame's eyes widen and crawled back while tugging on the trapped leg.

"You really shouldn't have wandered off on your own," the girl of the group smirked, her hands sharpened into knives.

"Hold still and it will be over fast," the boy commanded the snake to tug her towards them.

"Ah, man," Ayame sighed, "I was really hoping to be out of range for this."

"What?"

A large wave of water appeared behind Ayame and shot towards the four students, submerging them into a sphere of water and forcing them to swim within. The snake slithered away when the other's Quirk deactivated and Ayame quickly stood up, thankful her pants had covered her skin. She'd hate to feel the scales on her.

"I was hoping to not get wet," Ayame frowned and tugged off her gym jacket. Under the blue jacket revealed a black tank top clinging to Ayame's skin from the water as she attempted to wring the water from her uniform.

"Sorry, Ayame-san," Yuu appeared again with his usual smile. He twirled his finger around and the water pressure quickened, causing the bracelets to crack on their opponents, "I was worried I may be too late."

Ayame gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Yuu-kun. Now, can you help me with this?"

She brought the wet jacket forward and with another wave, the water was taken from the cotton. Yuu released the water bubble for the other two teams, smiling innocently as always in their direction.

"Ugh, I knew something was suspicious when she made us chase her," one of the boys groaned.

"I just have a reliable teammate," Ayame chirped.

" **10 minutes remaining and 35 teams are left standing!** "

"Ayame-senpai and Shimizu-senpai work well together," Tsuyu commented, "They're in the top 2 teams."

While the students in the arena cannot see the scoreboard, the audience can. As expected, the 'Two Princes' were strong even by themselves and had taken the majority of the points alone. Ayame and Natsumi were able to help them but—it had mainly been the two boys suppressing their opponents.

"As expected of last year's winners," Tokoyami said.

"Yuu-kun is just carrying her to the top!"

Class 1-A glanced to the stadium above them, listening to the jealous girls' shouts in silent shock.

"His teammate is barely doing anything! And she found him naked?!"

"Who is that?! I don't remember seeing her last year!"

"But…she looks familiar."

"Oi…oi… Girls are sure scary," Kirishima sweated, "They're not…talking about Ayame-senpai…are they?"

"Is she trying to strip in front of him?!"

The boys winced.

"Yup…they're definitely talking about her…" Sero confirmed quietly.

"The competition is more exciting," Shoji's mouth said, "Why are they looking at useless things?"

Ochako laughed nervously. "Jealousy can be a scary thing…"

"Don't mind, senpai!" Ashido cheered despite Ayame unable to hear them, "You're strong too!"

"Yeah!" Kaminari shouted with Ashido, "You can win!"

Midoriya smiled at his classmates active cheering and looked back onto the screen. It revealed Ayame to putting her jacket back on and discussing another strategy with Yuu closely. Although it looked as though they were figuring out a strategy to win, it does not seem like it with the way Yuu inclined his head down to listen and Ayame leaning up close to him.

"Is this…love blooming onto the battlefield?" Ochaka gasped.

"No, it can't!" Mineta cried out.

" **21 teams remaining!** "

"The numbers are dwindling fast," Yuu frowned, "We have 12 points…that should be enough to secure us to the top 16th."

"H-how can you be sure?" Ayame was still nervous.

"There are exactly 104 teams Ume-sensei had announced earlier. In order to get to the top 16th, each team should have at least 6 points—if they're divided evenly. So if there are 104 points from all the teams, minus 16 points from the top spots, there are 88 points left for us to take. We already have 12 points, double of what was necessary, so no matter what, we will advance."

Yuu explained with a kind smile yet Ayame's head was swirling from the math. She swore this hurts more than the headaches resulted from her Quirk. But, what he said had made sense. There are 21 teams remaining…so there are 5 points left.

"So…what we should do now is…hide and wait?" Ayame suggested hesitatingly.

"Cor-rect," Yuu smiled and tapped her head; _she's smarter than she looks_.

" **4 minutes remaining!** "

"It would be best if we can return back to the lake. I can hide us underwater," Yuu looked towards the opposite direction, "But we made quite a distance since then. I'm afraid we'll be spotted if we move too fast."

"…Should we still try it?"

Yuu turned back to Ayame quietly.

"I think…we're strong enough to handle the other students," Ayame looked confident in her answer, lilac eyes shining with determination. "If what you said is true, then we've doubled the average points necessary. I—think—we're strong together."

He was still quiet for a moment, watching her stare at him with an unwavering gaze. How funny, Yuu never seen Ayame so driven before. Besides getting angry at Takarada's childish insults at times, this was the first time Ayame was challenging herself.

"You do realize with the remaining teams, they will mostly be fellow classmates or hero class students," Yuu pointed out, "Do you think we will be able to handle aspiring heroes as us?"

"Yes!" Ayame refused to back down, "What's the point in becoming heroes if we're too scared to fight? There will always be risks involved but—if we can't overcome them, then we won't get stronger!"

Ayame refused to let fear control her again. She would not be hesitant with her decisions and will fight as if her life depended on it. Someday, it just very might. She was surrounded by aspiring heroes just like her—Ayame knew how desperate they can be if pushed into a corner. What's another better opportunity than this?

 _Interesting…_ Yuu smiled yet it felt more like a smirk, his eyes turning shaper by the corner.

"Okay," he kept the pleasant smile on his face.

Ayame grinned in return and nodded her head. Black smoke formed around her again and separated itself onto the ground, creating a large ookami to fit the both of them. Ayame hopped on and looked at Yuu expectantly, her hand gripping the smoky trails.

"I trust you to have my back!"

Yuu hopped on with one fluid movement, smiling again and wrapped one arm around her waist. Ayame stiffened immediately and Yuu resisted the urge to laugh.

"Let's go, Ayame-san," he purposely lowered his tone and leaned on her back.

Without another word, the ookami burst into a sprint. Ayame felt the rush of the wind against her face to cool down her cheeks and, once again, understood why the girls would like Yuu-kun so easily. He was just— _too smooth! Too sly!_

 _Well, this is fine too_ , Yuu thought lightly, _as long as we don't run into Noeru, we will be fine._

"…Thanks, Yuu-kun, for listening to me," Ayame spoke quietly, eyes focused on the front. "I-I know we put ourselves at risk now but—"

Yuu chuckled from behind, breaking Ayame's sentence midway at the sudden sound. "—but it's not guaranteed we will make it onto the final spots. Nor are we safe standing out in the open."

"Ah…yeah…" Ayame was left silent. No wonder Yuu deserved to be second in class. He knew what she was thinking before she even said it.

This was the first time Ayame really…talked with Yuu. All their interactions before were just passing pleasantries. But she knew Yuu was smart and very in-tuned with others. It made sense as to why everyone gravitated towards Yuu with his pleasant smiles and understanding nature. Although she was probably not the teammate he wanted, Yuu still listened to both of her plans and explained the situation to her patiently.

 _Hah…Yuu-kun really is perfect. No wonder he received so many confessions_ , Ayame sighed in her mind.

But…she wondered if anyone else ever saw _that_ expression on his face. The way his eyes sharpened dangerously and his gentle smile turning into an excited smirk…

Ayame shook that from mind. Maybe she was overthinking it. Yuu had been fine afterwards. He's—

"—much nicer than Takarada."

Yuu stared at the back of her brunette hair, wondering if Ayame meant to mumble that part out loud. Normally, he would ignore that statement but—this girl was the one Takarada purposely provokes. He really wanted to know why his friend hates her so much. Despite her being a little ditzy and airheaded at times, Yuu couldn't think up of a reason.

"Noeru isn't that bad," Yuu laughed again, "He's…not good with emotions."

Ayame stiffened. Why was Yuu bringing him up? Wait—did she say the last part out loud?!

"Well, that doesn't give him a reason to be a jerk," Ayame replied regardless. So what if they're friends? Yuu was nice to everyone! But—Takarada was the complete opposite!

"He's just very…driven," Yuu mulled over for the right word to use, smiling as he leaned closer to Ayame. Maybe he can stir up some trouble since he had the opportunity to be her teammate. There seemed to be something deeper going on between those two. "Do you want to know a secret?"

She turned to the side briefly, glancing back at him with one lilac eye before facing forward again. Yuu was currently a little too close for comfort now! W-why was he whispering in her ear?!

Ayame forced herself to calm down by looking at the passing scenery. She was definitely curious but… "If it's about Takarada then n—"

"If Noeru cannot become the top of his class for three years in U.A., he cannot be a hero."

* * *

"They're totally flirting!" Mineta cried out from the stadium. Besides the fact that they were riding closely together on the summon, Yuu was purposely leaning closer to whisper something in Ayame's ear.

"I think I should be able to try that move on her next time," Kaminari whispered to himself, "Just subtly ask Ayame-senpai, I would like to ride the wolf with her and—ouch!"

Jirou retracted her earphone jack with a 'tch'. "Get your pervy hands off senpai."

"It's not even on her yet!"

" _Yet_!"

"Ahhh, what is she doing?!"

"Why did Yuu-kun agree?!"

"T-they sure are loud…" Sato glanced towards the angry girls again.

"They should be focusing on their studies instead!" Iida reprimanded strictly, "This is an important Sports Festival for U.A.! Flirting should be the last thing on everyone's mind!"

"Tell that to them," Jirou jabbed a thumb in Mineta and Kaminari's direction.

"I shall!"

"Wait—no—Iida—stop!" The two tried to run away.

"You should focus back on the screen!" Kaminari cried out, "Senpai is getting ambushed!"

* * *

"Duck!"

She didn't have time to think about what Yuu just said. At the sight of a flying object aiming towards them, Ayame instructed Yuu loudly to duck. Yuu covered Ayame instinctively, glancing behind him to see a paper fan spin upwards and around again.

"That's not a normal fan," Yuu examined, "If I remember correctly, Class 2-B has a user that can control paper."

"Yup, you're right!" A bubbly voice called out from above.

Ayame's ookami skid to a stop, both riders looking up to see a short girl waving at them from the top. Her platinum blonde hair was tied back into pigtails, wide eyes excited to see the two opponents. On her wrist adorned a glowing purple bracelet.

"It's been awhile, Sasaki-chan, Yuu-kun!" She grinned, "It's Eimi!"

"Hah…" Ayame blinked at the overly cheery girl. From what she remembered about her, Eimi was friendly to everyone but—more so than Ayame. This girl was not shy with her emotions and—definitely not shy with her feelings for the boys.

"You wouldn't happen to allow us to pass, will you, Eimi-san?" Yuu gave his killer smile, one that often left girls weak in the knees.

"A-ahh, Yuu-kun! That's sly!" Eimi put her hands to her face, blushing, "But no can do!"

A speedy blur darted towards them at that moment, startling Ayame to rein the wolf away but it was too late. The blur rammed right into the ookami in a single movement and—dissipate the wolf. Ayame jumped back to stead her balance and Yuu regained his easily.

"Who—Nao-kun!" Ayame gasped, this was her classmate! "You're paired with her?"

The one who attacked them was a fellow 2-A classmate, Nao. His Quirk allowed him to transform into a werewolf by command, auburn hair covering him from head to toe. On his right paw was a glowing purple bracelet, same as Eimi.

"Sorry, Shimizu, Sasaki, I just met her by chance," Nao nodded his furry head in Eimi's direction, "But I guess running into you two is just our luck. We'll be taking your points now!"

Nao rushed forward but Yuu reacted quicker. He reached out to bring Ayame back and created water to surround them, forcing the wolf back. Nao transformed back into a human, clicking his tongue and shaking the water off of him.

"Forgot how annoying your Quirk is," Nao rubbed his hair, two pointy ears twitched on top of his head.

"I'm a bad match against you two," Yuu smiled politely, "Sorry."

"Yeah," Nao smiled back, "But _she_ isn't."

Yuu whirled around to see Ayame grasping her arm tightly, fresh blood trailing down the thin cut. Eimi had gotten on the other side of the clearing while he had been distracted. They weren't aiming for Yuu at all. They were trying to weaken Ayame!

"I'm fine!" Ayame brought the bracelet close to her chest, "It's still okay!"

Yuu nodded in relief and turned his attention back to Nao. Silently, he wondered to himself how to beat them. Although he was able to create water from thin air, Yuu have been reaching his limit. The last water attack was already weaker than the one he made against the two teams from earlier. Hopefully, the other team would not notice his silent dilemma.

"What's wrong, Shimizu? Where's your flashy water?" Nao taunted, "And Sasaki, I'm still the superior wolf! How dare you use that to ride around!"

"Mine's cuter!" Ayame stuck out her tongue at him. "And why are you calling me 'Sasaki'?! It's Ayame!"

"I knew that would piss you off." Nao snickered, "But, anyways, I'm the real wolf! I'm warm and furry!"

"Yeah, but you can talk!"

"What's wrong with that?!"

"Those two…are friends…right?" Ojiro commented with a small laugh.

"Isn't that how Ayame-senpai gets along with others?" Ashido giggled.

"Kinda…like a social butterfly!" Ochako compared.

" **2 minutes remaining!** "

"Nao-kun! Stop playing!" Eimi whined from the tree branch, twirling her paper fan around, "You can't hold back because they're classmates!"

"I'm not playing!"

"Yuu-kun, your Quirk—is it okay?" Ayame backed up against him as they both stared at the opposing enemies arguing with each other.

 _How did she know…_ Yuu glanced behind to her. "I might be approaching my limit soon."

"Then let's combine our Quirks!"

Yuu arched an eyebrow at that. "How do you suggest that?"

Ayame grinned and turned to him. She grabbed one of his hands boldly, lilac eyes shining like a child with a secret and raised their joined hands together.

"By supplying me the most water you can create. I'll take care of the rest!" She smiled again, confident and relentless as she squeezed his hand. "Trust me."

"Oi, Eimi—we need to focus!" Nao stopped their argument to turn towards the two opponents. "They're letting down their guard!"

Eimi turned her attention back below and gasped. She twirled the paper fan more and swung it down, aiming for the two still looking at each other. Nao turned back into his werewolf form and ran towards them.

" **1 minute remaining! 18 teams left in the arena!** "

Yuu smiled helplessly. This girl…she just keeps surprising him. Although he was skeptical at first when he realized they were partners, Yuu truly believed he would be the one to carry the team. But instead, Ayame held her ground against the others. She had really…changed from the first-year he knew.

"Okay."

Smoke manifested from Ayame and Yuu's joined hand, dozens of thin dark tendrils shot upwards and swirling around together to take the form of a serpent dragon. The water stream swam within the long dragon like a gushing river and Ayame grinned again. This was exactly what she imagined it to be!

She turned her attention to the approaching wolf and the dragon moved to swallow Nao. Nao jumped away, barely missing the large dragon and gulped. Since when can she do that?!

The dragon did not stop moving. The tail finally finished forming and it curled around the paper fan, soaking up the water and caused it to lay limp. Eimi cried and reached into her pocket, bringing out two little paper cranes.

"I'm not done yet!" She threw the paper cranes in their direction.

" **30 seconds remaining!** "

The paper cranes flew fast and dodged the swimming serpent dragon. Eimi moved her hands and her brows furrowed in concentration. At least—one crane must make it to their wrist! One of them was strong enough to break the bracelet! Eimi had seen it happened before!

Nao rushed forward again in his wolf form, jumping up to avoid the serpent tail and Yuu moved to slam his free hand into the water within the dragon. Steam began to form from the boiling water, creating a more ghastly appearance to the dark smoke and Ayame commanded the dragon to swirl around them, leaving no space for the paper cranes to get in.

" **10 seconds remaining!** "

With her free hand, she motioned the dragon forward and swallowed the paper cranes during Eimi's flustered state. The paper broke within the water and the cranes stopped moving, only being carried by the water current within and Ayame turned her attention back to Nao.

He saw a brief opening where the dragon left the two's side and jumped in. However, Ayame was quicker and moved the dragon to him. The werewolf tried to dodge again but the dragon grazed over its right front leg, causing Nao to howl in pain from the boiling water and—the bracelet broke.

" **Time's up! 16 teams are left in the arena!** "

The whole stadium cheered in an uproar. The television revealed the many teams left standing from the aftermaths of the battle. Class 1-A went crazy as they cheered for their upperclassman, staring at the shocked expression on Ayame's face.

The dragon disappeared and the water fell onto the dirt below. Ayame gasped from the following headache, her free hand reached up to grasp her head but—her eyes were turned to Yuu's direction. Yuu looked mildly pleased and surprised by the end, his eyes focused on the still glowing bracelets on their wrists.

"W-we—did we do it?!" Ayame asked excitedly.

Yuu calmed down to stare at her eager expression and smiled. He nodded his head and helped Ayame massage her head.

"Yup, we did."

Ayame didn't even care for her manners or Yuu's sudden affection. She cheered loudly and in her excitement, threw her arms around Yuu. The boy stiffened under her arms yet Ayame didn't notice. She was nearly jumping in joy at the results of the battle royale—she qualified! Ayame passed the first round!

"Ugh, we shouldn't have picked a fight," Nao lay on his back, leaving his burned wrist on his chest.

"Nao-kun! Are you alright?!" Eimi jumped off the tree to run over to Nao.

"Oh no!" Ayame realized what she had done and separated from Yuu, leaving the taller boy to silently look after her. "Nao-kun! Sorry!"

Nao sat up and, realizing there were two girls attending to him, he smiled instead. Well, this wasn't so bad either.

"No, Ayame, you need to compensate for my wrist," Nao helped up his injured hand. Now that they weren't enemies any longer, Nao went back to calling her by her name.

"I'm not letting you have my spot in the tournament!" Ayame heatedly rejected.

"You can compensate me in another way!"

"Technically, it was my fault," Yuu kneeled down next to Ayame to smile at Nao, "How do you want me to compensate you, Nao-san?"

Nao paused to stare at his vice president and felt a shiver run down his spine. What the hell? Since when did Yuu look so intimidating with his smile?! Why would he care what he does with Ayame?!

"Never mind. I'd trust rather trust Recovery Girl," Nao mumbled.

Eimi giggled and Ayame sighed in relief.

" **Everyone! Please gather back onto the stage!** " Ume's voice echoed the forest again and, with a smile, the four of them headed back together.

* * *

"Uwah! That was so exciting!" Ochako pumped up her arms exactly. "I knew Ayame-senpai would win!"

"That last fight was the best!" Kirishima was equally excited, "Hey, Bakugo, which part was your favorite?!"

Bakugo frowned as his attention was focused on Takarada and Yuu's form on the television. "That shiny hair guy… He changed the whole damn landscape with his Quirk."

They turned their attention back to Takarada and quietly remembered the scene they saw. During the first five minutes of the game when everyone was trying to find their teammate, he found Natsumi first. From there on, he encased everyone within 30 meters into a crystallized dome with him in the center. With both Natsumi and Takarada rounding off the little prison Takarada made, that team easily scored 12 points by themselves. Some people weren't even able to find their partners yet when the duo ambushed them.

"His Quirk…reminds me of Todoroki-san…" Yaoyorozu said softly.

"The crystallization and creation from his body seemed to be a tad higher than Todoroki-kun's…" Midoriya noted.

"What the hell are those two 'princes'? Are they monsters?!" Mineta cried out, "Th-that whirlpool was scary by itself!"

Their attention turned to Yuu next. He kept up a polite smile on his face as he entered the stadium, noticing Takarada had arrived at the same time and waved to his friend.

"Senpai can heat up the water, too," Tsuyu pointed out.

"But…he seems limited on the amount of water he can create," Midoriya turned to Yuu's page in his notebook. "In the end, the amount he created was much less than before. It seems he can control existing water pretty well, however."

Takarada glared at Ayame that entered the stadium with his friend, scoffing at the still glowing bracelet on her wrist. Ayame noticed that he passed as well, not surprised but, definitely not content. She crossed her arms and looked away from him, turning her attention to 1-A's booth. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the others still here and waved, hopping over to their side.

But, she didn't get far when she saw Hotaru enter the stage as well. The short girl had a glowing red bracelet on and Ayame cheered, rushing over to her friend to engulf her into a hug. At the sight of Usagi wearing the same bracelet as Hotaru, Ayame hugged them both.

"Ayame-senpai looks happy," Ochako giggled.

"If I recall, she wasn't in the tournament last year," Iida hummed, "But it seems she did just fine today!"

"Yeah!" Sero cheered, "We should give more credit to her."

"Tch, she's still a crybaby!" Bakugo rejected.

Kirishima laughed and slapped Bakugo's back. "Is this your way of showing affection?"

"Screw off!"

Todoroki watched silently from his position nearby. His hands clutched the railing as he looked down onto the stage. He hadn't realized he was so caught up in watching the competition that he closed in onto the stage. Whether he was accidentally focused on Ayame's screen the whole time—even he did not know. With the multiple cameras all around the stadium, it showed at least 7 different teams each time but somehow, he always managed to single out the brunette.

"Oh! I remember why she looks familiar!"

Todoroki glanced at the audience besides him.

"She looks like LullaCry!"

"Oh—you're right! LullaCry did mention having a sister attending U.A. before."

"Ah, the little sister is not bad, huh?"

"Must run in the family!"

Todoroki looked away and turned around. He wasn't interested in hearing more about them.

"What a shame though! The kid has a flashy Quirk but—how practical is it?"

"I prefer LullaCry! The villains can't get away with her around!"

Todoroki paused again, a small frown upon his lips at those remarks. Ayame's angry outburst from earlier floated in his mind and yet—he pushed it away. It was her problem, not his. Just because she managed to pass the qualifier round did not change anything yet.

"Oiii! Senpai!" Ochako waved her hand around to catch Ayame's attention, "We have to go now! We're starting again soon!"

Ayame looked towards 1-A and smiled, waving 'bye' to her kouhais. It would be fine since there should be a small break for the second-years again.

"Now then, here are the final results!" Ume pointed towards the giant screen on the stage.

First Place: Takarada & Natsumi – 15 points

Second Place: Shimizu & Sasaki – 13 points

Ayame stared wide eyed on the screen. She was placed…second? She knew Yuu was smart yet—he was way too accurate with his estimate! Every other team had less than 6 points but—they…really doubled their points…

"W-wow, Ayame-chan, you did amazing!" Hotaru nudged Ayame.

"Uh," Ayame was still shocked, "It was…Yuu-kun who did the hard work."

She laughed in the end, brushing off her efforts to glance at Yuu. He turned at that time to glance as her too, another smile emerging on his lips at her gaze.

"So she only passed because of you," Takarada said to Yuu.

"Actually," Yuu chuckled softly, "Ayame-san held her own. I was surprised."

Takarada looked at his friend then with a perplexed expression. He wasn't serious—was he?

"You're too kind," Takarada frowned.

Yuu merely hummed.

"Alright! We will take a half hour break before the next exciting event! Make sure to remember to return!" Ume waved to the audience with a dazzling smile.

"Ah, as expected of an ex-idol," an audience sighed dreamily at Ume.

"Ne, Hotaru-chan! Tell me all about your competition! Wait no—we have to go cheer on 1-A again! They are starting soon!" Ayame was waving wildly around from the stacked events. "Ah but—that gave my stomach such a workout! Let's get some food first!"

Hotaru smiled helplessly as her friend proceeded to wave to Natsumi and Usagi to join them. Even though they may have a chance to fight against each other for the next tournament round, Ayame was still cheery and friendly.

Ayame paused to remember something and looked up, smiling at Yuu who happened to be looking at her too. She gave him a brief wave, promptly ignoring Takarada.

"Yuu-kun! Thanks for being my teammate!" Ayame grinned, "It was fun!"

Yuu blinked and another smile appeared. Gentle, practiced, and…cautious. Ayame blinked and the careful consideration from Yuu was gone. She wondered if she was imagining things again.

* * *

"Ahhh, sorry I'm late!"

Ayame teleported in with Hotaru—pausing to sit down to calm her head from spinning—before looking in Midoriya's direction with dizzy eyes. Everyone looked surprised again by Ayame and Hotaru's sudden appearance and watched the neon glow on the short girl's freckles dim.

"Deku-kun! I missed your fight!" Ayame was regretful and hugged the short boy, "I'm sorry! I was honestly rooting for you from the festival!"

"S-s-s-s-sen-p-p-pai!" Midoriya blushed a deep red as he tried to slowly scoot away. "I-It's a-a-alright!"

"Ayame-senpai, I think you're choking him," Tokoyami informed calmly.

"Ah!" Ayame quickly let go to scan over him. Seeing no visible injuries allowed her to heave a sigh of relief. "Wha—but seriously, what happened? You just—you were about to walk out the stage!"

"Mind control Quirk," Iida answered, "A very dangerous but useful Quirk!"

"Ohhh," Ayame patted Midoriya again, "I'm glad you pulled through!"

He smiled in return and quickly, all three of them took their seats by Ochako and Iida. Ayame purposely allowed Hotaru to sit next to Iida, silently giggling to herself as she next to Tokoyami with a brief greeting and they focused on the stage again.

Below, two opponents were standing on the opposite side of each other. Sero was flexing his arms around on one side while…Todoroki was standing on the other. Her eyes focused on latter inside, silent and contemplative.

 _Did he…watch my stage?_

" **He's good! He's good, but what's with that plainness he just can't get rid of? From the hero course, it's Sero Hanta!** " Present Mic's voice boomed over the stadium again, much different compared to Ume's voice from earlier.

"How mean," Hotaru sweat dropped.

" **Taking second, then first in the prelims! You're way too strong, kid! He wasn't recommended for admission for nothing! Also from the hero course, it's Todoroki Shoto!** "

Todoroki looked absolutely calm—or was it absolutely absentminded? He barely reacted to his entrance and—quietly, Ayame noted that he seemed to be…even more distant than usual. She leaned closer to the edge to try and get a better look while Present Mic continued to announce in the background.

" **Ready… Start!** "

As soon as it began, Sero's tape flew out to wrap around Todoroki. The other boy was caught into the trap as Sero swung him over the edge of the stage.

" **A surprise attack aimed to push his opponent out of bounds! Don't you think that was the best choice for this situation?! Seriously, get him, Sero!** "

"Isn't…this a little too biased commentary…?" Ayame mumbled.

"Against Todoroki…wouldn't it make more sense to root for an underdog?" Tokoyami asked back.

"O-oh! Y-yeah," Ayame flushed. What was she saying—Sero was her kouhai too! And—he said he would do his best to be a hero—there's no way he should stop here! "Go, Sero-kun! Do your best!"

A pair of mismatched eyes snapped upwards and all it took was a second. Ice appeared under Todoroki's right foot and sped towards Sero—going over and past him so fast that her eyes were barely able to catch the movement. One second Ayame was standing and the next—Kirishima had pulled her back before the large ice wall collided against her.

Todoroki's giant ice attack covered one half of the stadium, nearly blocking the classes view on the stage. Ayame went around the ice to peer over the railing to see Sero…stuck within the ice wall. The right side of Todoroki was covered in frost.

 _It's…the same as before…_ Ayame thought, remembering the frostbite over his arm from their training exercise. _Except this time, it covered half of his body…_

" **Isn't this…a little too much?** " Even Present Mic had asked hesitantly.

"Sero-kun, can you move?" Midnight's voice spoke up next and from what they can see, half of her body was also covered in ice.

"O-of course not…"

"Sero-kun is immobilized! Todoroki advances to the second round!"

The stadium was stunned silent before someone began to shout words of encouragement. The words of 'don't mind!' filled the stadium as they comforted Sero. Amongst the thousands of voices echoing the stadium, Ayame was not one of them.

She watched as Todoroki walked over to Sero, his left arm raised to melt the ice. Steam sizzled from both his Quirks and in the cloudy ambiance, Ayame only saw Todoroki. Standing alone…undoing one aftermath of his Quirk with the side he hated the most.

For some inexplicit reason, Ayame only felt sad. Surrounding by the echoing words of 'don't mind', she wondered if those words even reached his ears. She couldn't even recall the anger she felt at him from over an hour ago. Ayame couldn't think of anything else or even realized Midoriya was silently staring at her back.

In that moment, she wanted to go up to Todoroki and simply—hold his hand.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Oops I'm cheesy.

To clarify some things up: No, Takarada absolutely cannot make Ayame demote but he used it to threaten her and hold it against her in the future. I truly love my OCs, btw, and will defend Takarada and Yuu. I can understand and see how jerkish Takarada is but…the sports festival arc isn't over yet!

I honestly hope the second-year's battle was exciting! I know Yuu or Takarada seems OP but honestly…aren't Todoroki and Bakugo pretty OP too. There are still setbacks for their Quirk overuse and there is still the tournament battle to go through!

Thank you all for the constant reviews. It's honestly been helping me so much to write the next chapter out. Also motivates me to draw, too! So please continue to send some love. Thank you!

P.S. Also just survived my wedding and it was amazing! Now it's time for me to pass out for 24 hours


	11. Reckless First Years!

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

 _Oh no, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!_

Yume dashed through the crowd of the third-year stage. Her phone tapped a familiar number and she put the device close to her ear, waiting for the person to pick up. After two more dials, she finally heard the call go through.

"Otou-san! Where are you?" Yume exclaimed before her father can even get a word in.

" _I know, I'm sorry! Work ran a little late. I'm heading home to pick up your okaa-san and Suzume now_ ," Hiroshi's voice rang out from the other end.

Yume sighed to glance at the time. _Crap, the first event may be over already!_

" _Why didn't Ayame tell us today was the Sports Festival?! She's usually bad at keeping secrets!_ " Hiroshi asked again and Yume can hear the pant in her father's voice. He was probably running to catch the train.

"I don't—woah!"

Yume nearly crashed into another body and sidestepped to dodge. She bowed apologetically to the other person but before she can take another step, she was stopped.

"LullaCry?!"

"You're here in U.A.?!"

"H-hello," Yume smiled sheepishly.

Yes, she was one of the heroes requested to supervise U.A. High School during the event. She had not told Ayame since she wanted to surprise her little sister during her tournament. However, Yume was assigned to the third-year's stage instead. Every little break she can get, Yume would be pulling up her phone to watch the live broadcast and yet—she always misses Ayame on screen!

 _I also don't know why Ayame didn't tell us…_ Yume wondered in her mind. _She had been so excited last year…was she nervous this time?_

"Can I have your autograph!?" One of the civilians asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

"LullaCry, I love you!"

"LullaCry, can I take a picture with you?!"

Yume sweated and nodded her head to all the requests. She was never great at telling others 'no'. Ayame had often pointed that out too but—would never say the same when she asks for favors.

" _Yume? Are you still there?_ " Hiroshi's voice cut back into her ears.

"I'll meet you at the second stage, otou-san," Yume quickly hung up the phone.

 _I need to hurry_ ; Yume thought again, _I_ _don't want to miss out on Ayame's sports festival again!_

* * *

Unfortunately, Ayame and Hotaru were only able to stay for one more match until they have to leave for their own matches again. They had laughed quietly when Kaminari was instantly defeated by the vines girl from Class 1-B and after checking the time, Hotaru needed to teleport them back to their own stage.

"Good luck, senpai!" Ochako waved to them.

"We'll be watching on our phones!" Jirou smiled.

Yaoyorozu, Ojiro, Tsuyu, and Kirishima also showed their support. Ayame nearly brought them into a hug but held back. Amongst all the students, Todoroki wasn't here. He had left somewhere after his own stage and Ayame felt a bit sadden to have not seen him. She could still remember his lone back surrounded by the steam and smoke, standing tall yet…alone by himself.

"Come visit when you can!" Ayame waved and immediately, they were teleported away.

They appeared along with the other 30 students that had passed to the final round. Ayame mumbled something incoherent about the dizziness again while Hotaru steadied her with one hand. Slowly, the other students began to gather and Ume returned back onto the stage.

"Welcome back, everyone, to the event you've all been waiting for!" Ume pointed towards the giant screen again to reveal 16 different bracket pairs. "The Tournament Round! The 32 students from the qualifier round have been randomized to fight each other on a one-on-one battle! Your teammate from the last match may be your enemy now!"

The screen randomized the names listed and everyone looked to find their names. Ayame froze; she found hers instantly. She blinked once, then twice, and then rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not imagining the names up top. It wasn't that Ayame was the first match surprised her—but rather—her opponent—!

"…Ayame-chan…!" Hotaru turned to stare at her with vibrant neon eyes, "I…won't hold back!"

Ayame's first opponent…was Hotaru.

"Tch," Takarada glanced at the board. His position on the bracket was second to last. He turned to glance at Yuu to see him composed as always. He was the seventh match. His crystal eyes turned back to the screen where the first match will be, another frown upon his lips before he promptly ignored that stage.

"Now then everyone! The stage has been set! The brackets have been drawn! First match will begin in 5 minutes!" Ume announced again.

Slowly, everyone began to leave the stage. Ayame still felt surprised and frozen from the whole ordeal. Although she knew they would be fighting classmates and fellow hero students soon—she hadn't realized she would be against Hotaru so soon!

"Good luck, you two," Usagi smiled with a small tap to Hotaru.

"Oi, are you going to be okay?" Natsumi nudged Ayame.

"A-ah!" Ayame snapped out of her daze, "I-I—uh—"

"Ayame-chan," Hotaru closed the steps between them. Her hands reached out to grasp Ayame's, a smile on her lips as she looked at the taller girl. "This is your first time in the tournament. You must have worked hard to get here, right? That's why…I don't want you to hold back, too! No matter what, let's give it our all!"

She nearly wanted to cry from Hotaru's consideration. Ayame nodded her head and brought Hotaru into a hug. Although she had been hesitant to fight against her friend, this was a tournament after all. The Sports Festival was where they can truly go all out against each other—to prove to others and each other their abilities. All of them were aiming to be heroes so—there's no time for them to be hesitant!

Yuu glanced at Ayame with a slight smile. _This girl…was she going to give up her chance so soon? Ah…that Hotaru-san…such a kind friend. If she hadn't done that, Ayame-san would have definitely hesitated to fight her._

"Yuu, let's go," Takarada snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Mhm."

* * *

"A-already?" Midoriya gasped in surprise at the second-year's event. There was a small crowd of students together as they looked on Iida's phone.

"Ayame-senpai…doesn't look confident," Tsuyu noted.

"Uwah…I hope neither will regret it! This is…an important fight!" Ochako said nervously.

Ume announced the two hero students heading onto the stage. On one side was Hotaru, her hair was pulled back into their usual pigtails, neon eyes shining in determination. On the other side was Ayame with her usual braid-bun yet without the same bounce in her step. Even if Hotaru had given her a small pep talk, Ayame was still nervous for the first fight.

"Ready… Start!"

In an instant, Hotaru teleported. Ayame gasped and whirled around right as Hotaru appeared again. The short girl had reached out to grab Ayame but the brunette quickly jumped back to avoid her. She knew what Hotaru wanted to do but—she can't let her be touched by her! Hotaru wanted to throw Ayame out of the ring!

"No one is faster than Class 2-A's Hotaru-san and her Quirk: Teleportation!" Ume had acted like the announcer and continued to commentate, "During the battle royale, Hotaru-san had used the same tactics to run and attack before the opponent can touch her! Will this work again?!"

 _Think, think, think_ , Ayame attempted to call upon her summon yet Hotaru's blinding teleportation was throwing her into frenzy. She can barely keep up the rapid teleportation Hotaru was constantly using to predict where she may next appear in order to counter. Ayame barely had time to admire how Hotaru had improved immensely on her Quirk—she can only see the flashes of light surrounding her.

 _What do I do—?! I don't want to hurt Hotaru-chan—I can't lose either!_

"Ayame-senpai is getting pushed back!" Kirishima gasped. Even though Hotaru had barely made contact with Ayame, she was forced to run away towards the edge of the ring.

"Got you!"

A small hand grabbed onto Ayame's wrist and suddenly, they both disappeared. In a flash, Ayame was flying through midair. She gasped; lilac eyes widen at angry neon ones at the strength Hotaru displayed.

 _What is—?!_

"If you're not going to be serious—then don't regret losing!" Hotaru yelled.

Ayame flinched. Smoke emitted from her body again in a speedy manner, dark tendrils intertwining to create her faithful ookami midair for Ayame to ride on. The wolf landed on the arena effortlessly, the smoky tendrils still haven't dissipated as Ayame slowly looked at Hotaru.

Her friend was—glaring at her. It startled Ayame so bad she almost fell off the summon. Hotaru was her sweet friend, a caring yet meek classmate. This was the first time Hotaru was seriously—fighting against Ayame. All of their spar from before never amounted to this.

"Are you going to just end your tournament here?!"

Ayame smiled helplessly.

"Sorry, Hotaru-chan," she apologized regardless, "I'll get serious now."

Why was she hesitating anyways? Because Hotaru was her friend? Ayame hesitated because she didn't want to fight her? Even though Hotaru had wanted an even fight—Ayame still held back. What was the point of her bet with Takarada—with her outburst with Todoroki—all of it—what was the point in that if she couldn't even fight her friend seriously?

The ookami charged forward and Hotaru flickered away again. Immediately, Ayame hopped off the wolf as soon as Hotaru appeared behind her with a kick. The smoky trails split into two and Ayame moved her hands towards the smoke, reconstructing the ookami into two smaller wolves instead. Hotaru gasped; she doesn't remember Ayame to create multiple creatures!

Hotaru attempted to teleport again but one of the wolves latched onto her leg. There was a strange biting sensation on her calf as she looked at the shadowy wolf attached to her. Ayame emitted more smoke from her body, eyes focused on the second wolf as the smoke tendrils enlarged the second summon. It began to charge towards Hotaru and in a last minute decision, Hotaru flashed away with the wolf still biting her leg.

She appeared on the opposite side of Ayame, sweating and panting with one hand held onto her head and the other hand trying to shake off the wolf. Hotaru can feel the aftereffects of her Quirk; over-teleporting will result in dizziness as Ayame had faced before. Her vision began to double yet Ayame did not give her any time to rest, commanding the second wolf to charge towards her again.

"Combine!"

The wolf charging towards Hotaru reverted back into the smoky wisps and darted towards the second wolf. The ookami was changed into one again as a giant wolf, snapping its jaws on Hotaru and lifting her from the ground. Ayame pointed to the edge of the stage and instantly, the wolf ran towards the edge.

"Let…go!" Hotaru grunted and punched the wolf.

The wolf threw her off stage, releasing her from his jaws and Hotaru moved her hand towards the stage. Her freckles flickered in the same neon glow again yet—Hotaru did not disappear. She fell flat on her face outside the lines.

"Hotaru-san is out of bounds," Ume announced with a barely concealed shocked tone, "Sasaki Ayame-san advances to the next round!"

Cheers erupted from the stadium and the wolf disappeared. Ayame gasped and ran towards Hotaru's still body.

"Hotaru-chan!"

The girl's finger twitched and painfully lifted her head, neon eyes staring right at lilac ones. Ayame carefully helped Hotaru up and the shorter girl laughed, patting Ayame and stunning her even more.

"Ah, Ayame-chan! I knew you got stronger!" Hotaru rubbed her nose, "You—you were great!"

Ayame blinked; stunned that Hotaru was so…cheery. Not that she was hoping Hotaru would be sad but—

"I…wouldn't have won…without your encouragement," Ayame realized, "You—helped me—Hotaru-chan—I—thank you…"

Hotaru giggled again and tapped Ayame's shoulder. "I knew you could do it all along." She stretched out her sore muscles and turned around to walk away, "I'm going to make a trip to Recovery Girl! I think your ookami got stronger…too! It tore open a part of my skin!"

Ayame looked down to see Hotaru's ripped pants. She gasped, not realizing the wolf had sunken the teeth in so deep and moved to help Hotaru. However, the shorter girl quickly sidestepped her and patted Ayame forward.

"You have to look out for this year's match. Everyone has gotten stronger, too," her neon eyes were serious against lilac ones, glancing in the 2-A's booth direction. "You…have to keep advancing, Ayame-chan!"

Ayame followed Hotaru's gaze and saw their classmates' stares on them. However, her attention was on crystal eyes and icy blue ones. From the looks of it, nearly all of their classmates also didn't believe Ayame would be the one to win the stage.

"Ayame wasn't in the tournament last year, right? How did she beat Hotaru this time?!"

"Oh, Yuu-kun was her partner in the battle royale!"

"That makes more sense then."

"She got lucky!"

"Are you guys, idiots?" Natsumi scoffed at them.

"What the hell?!"

"Ayame-san has changed," Yuu vouched for her, one icy eye glanced towards the classmates with a slight smile. "She just might trip you up if you're not careful."

"Y-Yuu-kun, that's not funny," one of them laughed.

Yuu merely hummed and turned his attention back onto the stage. Takarada was staring fiercely on the brunette, ignoring his fellow classmates in favor to see Ayame turn up to look at them just as passionately.

"Let's see how far you can get, Sasaki."

* * *

Hotaru limped her way towards the nurse's office. She hadn't expected the wolf's bite to cut _that_ deep into her body. During the battle, she had been running on adrenaline to even realize the pain. Now that Hotaru was out of the tournament, she could feel every step aching within her calf.

 _I can't teleport either…_ Hotaru frowned; _I really…overdid it this time…_

"Hotaru-senpai!"

She flinched from the familiar voice, turning towards the tall blue haired boy to have run over. Iida looked surprised to see her in her battle worn state and rushed over. Hotaru resisted the urge to fidget under his gaze and looked down.

"H-hello, Iida-kun…!"

"Are you alright?!" His voice was in the state of shock yet fretful, surveying Hotaru's small appearance from left and right before finally locating her injury. "I didn't realize Ayame-senpai's Quirk cause such damage! I will help you to Recovery Girl!"

"N-no! I-i-it's okay!" Hotaru tried to wave off yet Iida did not accept the answer.

"Nonsense! It is along the way for me, too!" He laughed wholeheartedly and offered one arm for Hotaru to lean on. "Your fight was spectacular, senpai! Everyone really admired your courage to support Ayame-senpai even in the middle of your battle!"

Her blush settled down yet what replaced it was a sudden insecurity. Hotaru had tried so hard to push away the disappointment she felt at her lost and yet—she knew Ayame deserved the win.

"Ayame-chan…had always been the one supporting me," Hotaru confessed softly, "But there was always something holding her back. I didn't—want to see my friend regret because she was up against me."

" _Hi! I'm Sasaki Ayame! I guess we're going to be seat neighbors, huh?"_

 _Young Hotaru froze from the strikingly tall girl that had greeted her. Silky, tan hair and beautiful lilac eyes returned her curious gaze._

" _Y-you could be a model, ya know!"_

 _Ayame blinked at the sudden compliment and laughed, clapping her hands together shyly and grinned at the short girl._

" _Wow—thanks! You're so cute, too!"_

"Ayame-chan is very social and is not timid like me…I really admire her but…I know, she's always holding back," Hotaru smiled sadly.

" _My favorite hero has to be All Might! But, LullaCry is definitely second! She's the best onee-san ever!"_

" _My sister? O-oh! I guess we do look alike! A-ah…no, I don't have the same Quirk…"_

"I'm really happy…she is starting to see her real strength…! B-but…I wished…I was stronger, too!"

Hotaru resisted the tears from her eyes, looking towards the ground to hide her emotional outburst. Once she started talking, all of her emotions began to spill out at once. A small part of Hotaru had envied Ayame; Ayame was who she wanted to be.

Outgoing and friendly; the person everyone would go to when they were excited to share something—because Ayame would be just as excited. The only person who truly disliked Ayame was Takarada but—he was not counted in Hotaru's mind when all of Class 2-A enjoyed spending time with Ayame. She was unafraid to speak her mind and stand up to the challenges herself. Ayame was always there to support Hotaru when she would be too shy to speak up and Ayame was always there to cheer for her.

"I think…you're strong too, Hotaru-senpai."

She snapped her head upwards to stare at Iida with bewildered eyes. The taller boy stopped walking to smile at her, encouraging and strong as he patted her head.

"In a competition like this, not many would risk their victory to help their friend. You did a very brave thing, Hotaru-senpai. That's why—you should be proud and continue to cheer for Ayame-senpai—because she was only able to fight back because of you!"

Iida looked so serious with his words of encouragement that it gave Hotaru the confidence to believe him. It felt like hearing someone as strong and resolute as Iida say it gave a completely different meaning. Hotaru thought she could believe anything Iida say as long as he continued to be unwavering with his decisions and words.

"Thank you, Iida-kun," Hotaru wiped away the tears, "I will definitely—continue to support Ayame-chan, too!"

* * *

After the fight with Hotaru, Ayame stayed behind the second-years to watch the matches. All in all, she was not as nervous to face her future opponents since she was not as close to them like Hotaru. Rather, Ayame was quite focused when it was Yuu's turn.

As expected, Yuu gave an outstanding performance. It must have been because they were partners that Ayame paid special attention to him.

Yuu's opponent was someone with a physical Quirk. Well, not that it mattered much. Yuu must have replenished his fluids within the break because as soon as it began—he created a floating lake onstage. He was basically…overpowering his opponent in one simple move and—washed him off stage.

The cheers from the fans were endless. Ayame watched how Yuu evaporated the water effortlessly and gave a dazzling smile to the crowd. Takarada looked absolutely bored as always, as if he expected this result. And then—Yuu turned to 2-A's booth.

He gave a small wave yet Ayame thought Yuu was…taunting them. As if he was the strongest in class with how _easily_ he can overpower someone. Ayame thought back to his odd smirk and wide eyes and wonder, why she was thinking so much about Yuu.

And again, when Ayame turned back to look at Yuu, his gentle smile resurfaced. She really wondered if it was her fatigue playing with her mind at all the times she wondered about Yuu.

With a shake of her head, Ayame got up from her seat to leave.

"Oi, Ayame! Where are you going?" Nao asked from his chair, leaning back to look at her over his shoulders.

"I'm going to support my kouhai," Ayame waved behind her.

"Ah, that Ayame…is seriously too relaxed…"

"Her match is starting soon."

"Aww," Ayame cooed and turned around to her classmates, "Are you worried about me?"

"Bug off," Natsumi tapped her head and hurried her out the booth, "It wouldn't be interesting if you forfeited the match."

The brunette stuck out her tongue and ran off, heading towards the first-years stage again. Based on the live broadcast from her phone, the most brutal match was starting soon. Ayame had watched the other students fight from the phone but—she wanted to personally be there to cheer for Ochako.

Against Bakugo… Ayame shuddered. _Hopefully, Ochako-chan has a plan._

"Oh, Ayame-san left?" Yuu returned back to the booth right after the brunette disappeared. He smiled at his classmates congratulating him and took the usual seat next to Takarada.

"She should just stay in 1-A," Takarada frowned and stood up. "I'm going to the waiting room."

"You don't want to watch?" Yuu arched an eyebrow.

"It's the same as last year," Takarada glanced to the bracket on the big screen, "I'll beat whoever makes it onto the final," he paused, turning one crystal eye to glance at his smiling friend. "Don't hold back this time."

Yuu hummed and watched Takarada leave.

* * *

"S-senpai! Are you sure you should be here?!" Kirishima gaped at the brunette.

"Why shouldn't I?!" Ayame pouted, lilac eyes scanning over the booth and cannot find the familiar red and white hair. Instead, she saw a small figure with dark hair sitting at the corner, eyes widening more at her friend. "Hotaru-chan! There you are!"

Hotaru looked up and smiled, waving next to Iida and Ayame paused. A slow smile emerged on her lips at the sight and she giggled to herself, casually hopping up to the two and taking a seat next to Midoriya.

"B-but your match…" Midoriya trailed off to glance at the brunette.

"It's fine," Ayame waved her hand, "I wanted to see Ochako-chan's match. I'm worried about her and Kacchan."

"That's definitely a match to be worried about," Kaminari said nervously.

" **The eighth and final match of the first round!** " Present Mic boomed over the speakers and continued to announce the two students for this match.

"Midoriya-kun," Iida turned to the green haired boy, "What was the strategy you were going to tell Uraraka-kun earlier for her to use against Bakugo-kun?"

"It wasn't much really," Midoriya flipped through the battered notebook.

Ayame glanced down to see the page with Bakugo on it. As always, the boy had numerous detailed info he could think of regarding the person and Quirk on the two pages. Ayame wondered why the notebook was so tattered; there were scorch marks on many pages.

"Kacchan's strong. In a real close combat fight, he has almost no openings and the more he moves, the more he sweats, making his Explosion Quirk stronger. He can use the blasts from his explosions to move around in the air…"

She began to sweat inwardly. Ayame…really got lucky with her match against Bakugo! No wonder he's so mad… In any normal circumstances, Ayame's Quirk shouldn't have won against his…

"Deku-kun," Ayame interrupted his explanation and he turned to her with wide eyes, "How do you know so much about Kacchan's Quirk?"

"O-oh!" Midoriya shrunk within himself a little, "W-we're childhood f-friends…"

Ayame blinked. "Huh?! Y-you and—him?!" She stood up to point down at Bakugo on stage.

"Y-yeah," Midoriya answered.

Wait, now that she thought about it, it does make sense. Midoriya and Bakugo has…cute nicknames for each other. Bakugo also seemed especially…tyrannical towards Midoriya.

" **Eighth match, start!** "

Everyone focused on the match as soon as it began. Ochako ran forward with her body low to the ground, both hands reaching down. Midoriya had explained for her chance to win, she needed to get as close to Bakugo as possible and set him afloat. It sounded easier said than done when suddenly, Bakugo swung his right arm. His wide range of explosion was set ablaze right in front of Ochako and Ayame let out a shocked cry the same time as the other two boys did.

"Ochako-chan!"

"Even though you're fighting a girl, you have no mercy, do you, Bakugo-chan?" Tsuyu said.

Smoke filled the stadium again, blocking many of their view from the match. Bakugo was standing facing the smoke before quickly turning around with another explosion aimed to his right. The smoke cleared to reveal him pushing the blue jersey and—Ochako appearing right behind him!

" **Oh! She made her jacket float and sent it over there?! She did it in an instant, too!** "

Flame and rubble exploded under Bakugo again when he swung his arm behind him. Ayame gulped, she was seriously…lucky to have run away from him. Bakugo's reaction time and power was just…too overwhelming! But now—Ochako was the one fighting him and she's sorely taking the hits bluntly.

"With Uraraka not being able to activate her Quirk unless she touches him, she's at a disadvantage with Bakugo's reflexes," Kaminari commented.

Ochako didn't give up. She continued to run into Bakugo again and again, taking each hit straight on while flying meters away. Ayame gripped the railing to lean over to watch. It really seemed like…Bakugo wanted to _kill_ Ochako!

"Ah, I can't watch!" Jirou covered her eyes.

The fight continued. Ayame bit her lips as she watched on, unable to say anything. Even though Ochako kept getting blasted away, she didn't give up.

" _If you're not going to be serious—then don't regret losing!"_

Ayame startled at the memory and glanced at Hotaru next to her. The girl was clutching her hands together while watching Ochako too; all of them stunned silent from Bakugo's one-sided fight.

Hotaru was right. If no one was serious in the tournament then—they can only blame themselves for losing. This one-time event they had the privilege to participate in U.A. for was what Ayame was dreamt of for years.

And, she's not the only one.

Many students like her—regardless of their year—were fighting their best to showcase their moves. Ochako had worked hard to reach where she was now. That was why—Ochako continued to get up and fight—not once stopping as long as he body can move.

 _But…does he have to go to this extent?_ Ayame sighed and looked away from the match to stare at above.

Ayame paused, blinking at the…mass of rubbles floating above the stage. There were jeers and protests around the arena for them to stop the match for poor Ochako and yet, she wasn't paying attention to that. Ayame looked up, then down to the match, then up again as the realization and idea slowly formed in her mind.

Aizawa's sudden voice cut off any complaints from the stadium. Ayame blinked and turned towards her uncle's voice as he continued to reprimand the audience.

" **Bakugo is being careful because he's acknowledged the strength of his opponent who has made it this far. It's because he's doing everything he can do win that he can't go easy on her or let his guard down** ," Aizawa defended.

"Oji-san…"

Her uncle had articulately shut up any protests while defending both of the students. Ochako was not as weak as she appeared and Bakugo wasn't the bully everyone made him out to be. Both were fighting and defending against each other like a real match.

"It can't be helped from where Bakugo is, but it's embarrassing for a pro in the stands to start booing without noticing," a male voice drifted from 1-B's side. "She kept her body low as she advanced, concentrating Bakugo's attack on the ground, storing up weapons. And then, she narrowed his field of vision with relentless attacks to keep him from noticing."

Well, Ayame didn't have time to admire the boy that had explained the situation to them. Instead, everyone finally took notice of Ochako's plan to look at the hundreds of rubbles floating above Bakugo. Their classmates looked on worriedly at Ochako's plan.

 _She's reaching her limit…_

"I'm gonna win!" Ochako yelled.

She tapped her fingers together and immediately, the rocks fell straight back down.

" **A meteor shower!?** "

"She had a desperate plan like that up her sleeve?" Midoriya cried and stood up to watch.

While the rocks were falling, Ochako ran. Ayame joined Midoriya as both of them leaned over the railing to watch the match. Even though this wasn't her fight, Ayame felt just as anxious for Ochako's plan! She was risking everything for this!

"Go, Ochako-chan!" Ayame cheered.

Bakugo wasn't focused on the brunette, however. His crimson eyes were faced upwards towards the rubble and slowly, his left hand crackled. It sparked in a familiar manner of his Quirk and right before Ochako reached him, a large explosion erupted from his hand. She was blown back from the shockwave and all the debris—scattered.

"No…way…" Ayame gaped.

" **B-Bakugo delivers a satisfying explosion! He blasts boldly through Uraraka's secret plan!** "

"I-is 'satisfying' the right word…" Hotaru mumbled.

And yet…Ochako still stood up. The girl was shaking as she stood up while Bakugo had a wild grin on his face and began to run towards her. Ochako clenched her fists and turned around to face the blonde.

"Wait—no—!" Ayame didn't want to watch but—she also can't look away!

Because before Ochako can even take a step, she collapsed. Even then, Ochako didn't give up. With all the strength she could muster, Ochako crawled.

"Ochako-chan!"

Ayame spun around and ran away from the booth. A few others turned to gasp at her but Ayame ignored them. Watching such a pitiful display was really tugging on Ayame's heartstrings. Ochako had become a friend for Ayame and—seeing her so desperate for a win proved exactly how far the students were willing to push themselves.

 _But is it really worth it?_

Ayame stopped running and looked up. Before her stood the tall half-and-half boy. His mismatched eyes scanned her over once then focusing back onto the screen before him for the outcome of the battle.

"Todo—"

She couldn't finish his name when he turned around to walk away. Ayame's fist clenched together, lilac eyes sharpening more at his broad back. An image of the same back—surrounded by steam and ice—floated in her mind as the sensation of sadness and loneliness painted that scene.

 _Yes, it's worth it. Hotaru-chan had made it clear that everyone was giving their best shot for the Sports Festival. Last year—I couldn't do anything but—! I swear, this year—I'm going to change! Everyone is desperate to prove their worth…and so am I!_

"Everyone!"

Todoroki paused, glancing behind him to watch his upperclassman slowly walk up.

"Everyone—is doing their best in the tournament!"

Ayame…really need to stop talking before she thinks. Seeing him walk away had made something click within her; Ayame was reminded of that lonely back. She couldn't feel the same anger regardless and instead—wanted to call out to him—to remind him that _she_ was here too.

"So I hope—you will also fight with no regrets," Ayame finished with resolute eyes. She brushed past him and began to run again, heading towards Recovery Girl's office.

* * *

By the time Ayame had reached the nurse's office, Ochako was already healed up. Ayame had opened the door quietly but it was still enough to attract Ochako's attention to the visitor. The younger girl smiled brightly in greeting and hopped off the bed.

"Senpai!" Ochako greeted with a slight surprise, "Are you injured, too?"

"N-no, I—uh—you—Ochako-chan?!" Ayame blinked in response. "You're…okay?"

"Yup!" Ochako pumped her fists up together, "Recovery Girl did a great job!"

"If you're fine then hurry long," Recovery Girl shooed them away, "I have other patients to attend."

"O-oh!"

They both hurried out the door to let the other students in. Ayame quietly walked besides Ochako, glancing at the shorter girl with strange glances. Ochako caught onto the frequent glimpses and laughed again, turning to her upperclassman with wide brown eyes.

"What is it, senpai?"

"N-nothing!" Ayame quickly replied, "I-I was just—um—you're—okay!"

She had absolutely no idea how to react with Ochako. Sure, Ayame had run ahead with the intention on comforting the girl but—she looks completely fine! Ayame wondered if she was too hasty in leaving…

"Yeah," Ochako rubbed the back of her head, "I guess I already knew Bakugo-kun was…really strong. I just thought—I'd do better."

Her mood dropped at that remark, causing Ayame to nearly freak out for bringing it up in the first place. Of course Ochako would be disappointed to have lost; Ayame could still remember her desperate struggle just minutes ago.

"Why…were you trying…so hard?" She couldn't help but ask.

"The same reason why everyone is a student here," Ochako said softly, "To be a hero…! I…I wanted to do enough—to stand out so—I can be scouted by pro heroes so in the future—I can earn enough money to take my papa and mama to Hawaii."

Ochako paused and blushed, looking away from her upperclassman to stare at the floor. _Ah, how embarrassing_ , she thought, to have such a dream while trying to be a hero! In the end, everything returned back to needing money.

"A-ah—it's just a simple d-dream so please don't—"

Ochako couldn't continue when Ayame suddenly brought a hand to her head. The taller girl rubbed her short brunette hair with a smile, encouraging and kind as she pinched Ochako's cheek.

"It's a pure dream, Ochako-chan!" Ayame giggled at the red mark left on Ochako's cheek when she pulled away. "You did well. I'm sure many pro heroes are interested in your Quirk!"

Ochako rubbed her red cheek and blushed, smiling even more and nodded her head. The two were walking in the arena's direction yet the shorter girl paused, stopping right by the waiting room for player one.

"I-I'm sorry, senpai. Thank you for checking up on me! B-but…I would like a few more minutes alone," Ochako smiled nervously.

"Oh," Ayame blinked again and slowly nodded her head. With a small smile, she sent Ochako into the waiting room and left.

 _Ochako-chan…is trying to look strong but…she's frustrated…_ Ayame's smile dropped as she walked back to the stadium. _This Sports Festival…I'm seeing so many different sides of everyone._

Ochako's desperation to win… Hotaru's angry yet supportive remark. Ayame had seen many different sides of her friends and…

 _Todoroki-kun's 'declaration'… Yuu-kun's strange smiles…_

 _Wait,_ Ayame paused; _didn't Yuu-kun mention something about Takarada? What was it—_

A flaming body nearly collided into her. Ayame startled, snapping out of her thoughts to see a large man walk around the corner. Streams of flames circled his upper torso over a navy blue suit and—sharp turquoise eyes glanced down in her direction.

"LullaCry?"

Ayame blinked, lips parting to see… _Endeavor_ of all people—behind the stage!

"No…you're not her," Endeavor scanned over her gym uniform and tied up brown hair.

"E-Endeavor…!" Dozens of thoughts were running through Ayame's mind as she stared at the Number Two Hero. She reached around her pockets for a booklet and pen, muttering to herself, "A-autograph! I-I want to ask for an autograph—crap why don't I carry any pen or paper with me?! O-oh! Did onee-chan work with Endeavor before—was that why he said her name—?"

"So you're the little sister," Endeavor hummed, _they do look eerily similar_.

His voice cut off Ayame's mumbling and she turned to him with a smile.

"Yes, I will be the future hero; Ayaminari! Quirk: Imagination!" Ayame introduced her hero name with a small salute.

"'Imagination'?" Endeavor repeated, "The Dream Quirk does not run in the family?"

Ayame felt the familiar twitch in her heart and kept the smile up on her face. "No, only Yume-nee was the one to inherit our mother's Quirk."

"Shame."

She ignored the slight remark and the smile lessened again. No wonder Todoroki was so cold and quiet; his father was just the same.

"I heard your son is Todoroki Shoto-kun from Class 1-A? I happen to be a teacher's assistant to that class. Since the beginning, I can see Todoroki-kun to be very powerful and amazing," Ayame attempted at small talk.

This was her first time meeting the Flame Hero face to face. The fact that he was also the father to one of the strongest 1-A student makes it even more amazing. Ayame wondered if she may learn more about Todoroki as well—

A pair of mismatched eyes flashed before her mind. Todoroki's abrupt call of her name reminded her of their…distant relationship.

"You know Shoto?" That caught Endeavor's attention, but just barely.

"Yes!" Ayame smiled again but it was polite and simple. "He has an outstanding Quirk control over his ice and his flames—"

" _I won't give my old man the satisfaction of seeing my left side."_

Ayame quickly bit her tongue. She wasn't sure of the reason why Todoroki had hidden that fact from the rest of the class—or why he disliked his father's Quirk so she couldn't continue to ramble. Ayame really shouldn't butt herself in other people's business.

"Hm," Endeavor thought nothing of it. "He's in his teenage rebellion phase now. He _will_ use his flames if he wants to win this little tournament."

She didn't know how to respond. It was Todoroki's choice on his Quirk to use but why did Endeavor sound so…condescending? Ayame knew nothing of their family but—shouldn't Endeavor be more…encouraging for Todoroki's first sports festival?

"Todoroki-kun is doing his best," Ayame defended, "It's up to him whether he uses both Quirks or not."

"What a waste," Endeavor's eyes sharpened, his frown deepening, "He was created for the sole purpose of inheriting both Quirks."

Ayame froze.

"Created…?"

"Yes," Endeavor answered with indifference. "He will be stronger than All Might."

Her head spun with the sudden information. The blank indifference and cold apathy—stunned Ayame. This—he—Endeavor—was he really Todoroki's _father_? Who the hell referred to their children as 'creation'?!

 _What…the hell?!_

Endeavor went to walk around Ayame, eyes scanning over her body for another figure. "Now, where is Midoriya Izuku. I would like to have a word with him."

"No wonder Todoroki-kun is so cold."

The man glanced down at her, turquoise eyes sharpening in Ayame's direction. There was no smile on her face anymore, her hands clenched tightly together into fists. Slowly, Ayame lifted her head, lilac eyes hardened into a glare.

"If—he had you for a father—no wonder he's rebelling…!"

Ayame just felt so— _angry_ on his behalf. She knew Endeavor was not the kindest person around but—Ayame didn't expect him to freely prattle around about his 'creation'! And for the reason of surpassing All Might, too! Just—what the hell?!

"Todoroki Shoto is his own person!" Ayame nearly shouted, "He's not—a 'creation'! And—in the future—he will surpass All Might but not because of you!"

She spun on her heels to leave, cheeks red in anger from that—preposterous adult! No wonder Todoroki was so cold and distant. No wonder he was so adamant about his goals! Because of Endeavor—because of such a _father_ …!

" _You_ ," Endeavor called after her lowly, "Who are you to say that?"

Ayame turned her head to glare at him.

"Sasaki Ayame! Sister of the hero, LullaCry, and daughter of the ex-hero, Nightmare!" She turned back around to stare straight ahead. "Hero name: Ayaminari! Remember it!"

She stormed off after that remark, still fuming and upset. Ayame just—felt so overwhelmed by all these emotions and was angered so much in just one day!

"I can't believe I wanted an autograph!"

Ayame rounded the corner and saw a startled short boy. Midoriya looked nervous and flustered, his eyes widen even more at the sight of her and Ayame immediately recognized him.

"Oh, Deku-kun, good, you're here," Ayame grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him along, "You're up against Todoroki-kun now, right?"

Midoriya followed Ayame with hasty steps. He didn't have time to register a blush or anything—his mind reeling from the conversation he accidentally overheard. He knew his upperclassman was kind and expressive but—that outburst towards the Number Two Hero Endeavor—was really—just too much!

 _Senpai…really has no fear…!_

Ayame knew nothing of Midoriya's dilemma. Her pale lips were still pulled back into a frown, mind replaying the conversations with Todoroki—with Endeavor—all of the puzzles slowly clicking together in her mind at the information she learned. Yes, she had wanted to understand Todoroki better but—this was more than what she expected!

 _Endeavor is really—a bonehead! But—his son is just as bad!_

"Deku-kun," they stopped in the hallway leading towards the stage. Ayame released his wrist and Midoriya turned to look at her, wondering about her sudden change in mood. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What…is it?" He asked hesitantly.

"Can you beat up Todoroki-kun for me?"

"H-hah?!"

"I think…I can understand why he's like that," Ayame frowned, "But his judgment is being clouded over by his father. So—that's why—I want you to—literally—beat some sense into him!"

Midoriya looked at Ayame with wide eyes. Did she really—ask him that?!

"I-I'm sorry!" Ayame quickly apologized by the bewildered look on his face. "It's really outrageous—I know—and you're also fighting for your own reasons in the tournament but he really—pissed me off! I wish I could be the one to do it but I'm not a first-year and—"

"S-senpai!" Midoriya grabbed onto her shoulder to snap her out of her ranting, smiling reassuringly on the flustered look on her face. "I-I will do my best. I can't…guarantee anything but—I also, want to win!"

"Deku-kun…"

Ayame paused to stare at him before engulfing him into a hug, grinning the whole time. She could feel him freeze under her arms and Ayame quickly let him go, giggling at his blushing expression.

"I'll be cheering for you!" She patted him to enter the stage, waving as Ayame turned around to return back to the booth. "Good luck, Deku-kun! Don't hurt yourself too much!"

Midoriya smiled and waved 'bye' to Ayame, watching her disappear back upstairs. He faced the entrance again and inhaled, releasing the breath through his lips to focus on the upcoming fight.

Todoroki has his own complications to go through. With a father like Endeavor…it's a wonder how he doesn't…hate All Might because of it. It may have been a conversation Midoriya had not meant to overhear but, he was glad he did. In the end, Endeavor did not find him as he wanted but—Ayame ended up being the one to retort him.

A small smile appeared on his lips at that thought.

 _Ayame-senpai…really cares for us_ , Midoriya thought and took a step forward, _so I will do what she requested. I also…wanted to fight Todoroki-kun!_

* * *

Ayame met up with Kirishima on their way back to the stage. Both of them were running a bit late; Kirishima due to this recent visit to Recovery Girl, and Ayame with getting side tracked. She had heard the announcement for the fight to begin and she really needed to watch Todoroki and Midoriya fight!

"C'mon, Eijiro-kun! We're going to be late!"

They rounded the corner to enter 1-A's booth. There were sounds of shattering and clashing below and quickly, they ran forward. Kirishima stopped at the sound of Kaminari congratulating him for advancing and he boosted his win to face Bakugo next round.

But his response…

"I'll kill you."

Ayame shook her head and arrived next to Hotaru. The short girl had her phone on; the screen feed from the second-year was playing on it. Currently, they were on the 14th match. One more and it'll be Takarada's turn.

"What's the status now?"

"M-Midoriya-kun has injured 5 fingers currently," Hotaru said, "Todoroki-kun has been fighting with ice but Midoriya-kun has negated each time."

Ayame frowned as she took the seat next to them, staring at the two boys on stage.

"Quirks are physical abilities, too." Bakugo started, "They must also have some kind of limit."

Her ears perked up at his explanation. Ayame turned around to look at Bakugo. "What's your limit, Kacchan?"

"None of your business," he glared.

"If I think about it like that, I guess that makes sense…" Kirishima also focused back on the match, "Then, against the instant-killer Todoroki, Midoriya wants…"

"An endurance match?" Ayame mumbled.

Todoroki sent ice over to Midoriya's side again and the other boy countered, breaking all of his fingers on the right hand. Ayame cringed and wanted to look away but—Todoroki was already on the move. He ran forward with ice forming under him into a bridge.

" **Todoroki doesn't recoil from Midoriya's power and gets in close**!" Present Mic said.

Midoriya aimed his left hand and fired.

"That's his broken finger already!" Ayame noticed, _these 1-A kids…they're all so daring!_

The ice under Todoroki shattered but the boy was unharmed. He jumped up and pulled his right hand back, punching straight down at Midoriya. Luckily, Midoriya evaded at the right time and the ground underneath Todoroki spiked up in ice.

But—while Midoriya was still in midair, Todoroki formed an ice barrage to chase after him. The ice creep up on Midoriya's red shoes, trapping him within and an ice wall formed behind Todoroki. Another strong shockwave swept through the arena of ice and wind, blinding everyone from the stage momentarily and Ayame stood up.

 _I said to try and win but—not break all your bones!_

"Why are all of you guys so reckless?!" Ayame turned to look at Ochako too. The short brunette blushed and looked away while sweating.

The ice and wind cleared. Everyone saw Midoriya still standing but Todoroki was stopped by his wall of ice. When he stood up, they could see frosty patches covering various parts of his right side.

 _Just like before…_ Ayame realized. _But…if he used his flames—wouldn't that counter it?_

 _But…that's not what he wants._

" **Todoroki keeps attacking with overwhelming power! Here comes the finishing ice attack!** "

Another wave of ice appeared behind Todoroki to shoot forward. Midoriya was immobile, his left hand broken and injured while the right fingers were all broken.

"Deku-kun…!" Ayame—really didn't want to watch!

But instead of seeing Midoriya fly off the stage as everyone expected, another attack of wind erupted from his fingers and the ice was blown back. Everyone was shocked by his counterattack and Todoroki was nearly pushed out of the stage if not for the ice blocking him.

"H-he's using his broken finger!" Hotaru cried and covered her eyes with her hand.

"That idiot!" Ayame pounded the railing.

"Why are you going so far?" Todoroki glared.

"You're trembling, Todoroki-kun," Midoriya shakily raised his injured fingers. "Quirks are physical abilities too… There's a limit to how much cold your body can take, isn't there? And isn't that something you could solve by using the heat from your left side?"

And yet—he wasn't using it. Todoroki was purposely putting a handicap on himself because of his own torment.

" _I think…I can understand why he's like that but his judgment is being clouded over by his father. So—that's why—I want you to—literally—beat some sense into him!"_

"Everyone's fighting with everything they've got…to win and get closer to their dream…to become number one." Midoriya struggled to stay, his hand shaking from the overbearing pain of broken bones.

Ochako's desperation fight from earlier. Shinso's anger at his Quirk disadvantage. Everyone was doing their best in this festival and even their senpai had come to their stage to watch. Midoriya wasn't about to disappoint them!

"You want to win with just half of your strength?! You haven't put a single scratch on me yet, you know!" Midoriya clenched his hand, "Come at me with everything you've got!"

"Midoriya…" Todoroki frowned, "What are you planning? 'Everything I've got?' Did my damn old man buy you off or something?" The thought of that was enough for Todoroki to continue. "Now I'm angry!"

Todoroki ran forward and Ayame leaned over to watch. _He's not using his ice?_

They were engaging in close combat instead. Todoroki jumped with one hand aimed backwards but there was a stagger of movement from him when he looked at Midoriya. Midoriya bent down and with his right hand, punched Todoroki in the stomach.

"A solid hit!"

Ice formed over Midoriya's broken left hand right before Todoroki flew away. He screamed from the pain, splashes of blood leaked from Midoriya's broken fingers and Hotaru hid her eyes again. Ayame gripped the railing so hard her knuckles began to turn white yet—no one was looking away.

"He got a hit on Todoroki!"

"Even though Midoriya looks way more beat up...I can't believe he went on the offensive here!"

Ice formed again from Todoroki's foot but it wasn't a large scale attack like before. Midoriya easily jumped away but Todoroki closed in within that gap. A weaker shockwave hit Todoroki again when Midoriya tried to put some distance between them, both boys hitting the leftover ice on the stage.

"No, no, no—Deku-kun, don't—"

Ayame wanted to scream. Neither was giving up on this fight. Again, she could see the desperation from Midoriya as he forced the purple fingers to be folded back. She couldn't imagine the type of pain Midoriya was going through as he continued to break his fingers again.

"I-I didn't mean to do it like this," Ayame whimpered softly, lilac eyes forced on the two boys dancing around each other with ice and punches.

"Why are you going so far?" Todoroki struggled to stay standing.

Midoriya ran forward.

"Because I want to live up to everyone's expectations… I want to be able to smile...and respond to them… To be a cool hero… That's what I want to be!"

Todoroki froze.

Midoriya landed another hit to his stomach.

"That's why—everyone's giving it their all!" Todoroki slid to a stop and Midoriya slowly stumbled forward.

" _Everyone—is doing their best in the tournament! So I hope—you will also fight with no regrets!"_

"There's no way I can know all of your circumstances or your resolve. But for you to become number one without giving it your all—to completely reject your father… Right now, I think _you_ should stop screwing around!" Midoriya yelled.

 _Five year old Shoto threw up his last meal. The sound of his father's voice echoed the room, scornful and scolding as Shoto attempted to catch his breath. Off to the side, he could feel the warmth of his mother leaning over to hold him, talking back to Endeavor but was strictly reprimanded. A 'thud' fell lowly nearby and Shoto saw his mother slapped away._

" _I don't wanna, okaa-san," little Shoto cried into his mother's embrace, "I... I… I don't want to be like otou-san! I don't want to become someone who bullies you, okaa-san!"_

" _But you want to be a hero, don't you?" A soft voice reached his ears and a gentle hand caressed his head. "It's okay for you to be one. As long as you have a future you feel strongly about."_

"I'll surpass you!"

Midoriya punched Todoroki again, sending him flying away.

" _Don't look at that, Shoto," Endeavor dragged young Shoto away from his siblings, "They're from a different world than you."_

" _Mom, I think I'm going crazy. I can't take this anymore… Every day, the children seem to become more and more like him… Shoto's… That child's left side sometimes looks very unsightly to me… I can't raise him anymore… I feel like I shouldn't..."_

 _The sound of the kettle whistling grew louder._

" _Good grief, this is an important time, too…"_

" _Where's okaa-san?"_

" _Oh, she injured you, so I put her in a hospital."_

" _It's your fault." Shoto glared at his father, tears streaming down his face, "You're the one who made okaa-san…"_

"I will reject...my old man's power…"

" _Todoroki Shoto is his own person!"_

Midoriya gritted his teeth. "It's _your_ power, isn't it?!"

" _Yes, that's right. Children inherit Quirks from their parents," All Might said in the interview, "But the really important thing is not that connection, but recognizing your own flesh and blood—recognizing yourself. That's what I mean when I say: I am here!"_

 _Before I knew it, I had forgotten…_

Todoroki shakily stood up, eyes wide against Midoriya's trembling form.

" _You don't have to be a prisoner of your own blood. It's okay for you to become who you want to be."_

Hot air washed over the audience and a blazing fire erupted from the stage. Ayame stood back to avoid the heat, and failing, but her eyes were wide on the burning form.

"He's...using his flames…"

"Even though you want to win…"

Midoriya's eyes widen as the ice melted from Todoroki's right side.

"To help your enemy… Which one of us is screwing around now?" Todoroki began to gain feelings back on his frozen arm and feet, the fire burning up his left sleeve from his hand. "I want...to be a hero, too!"

There was a wild smile on both of their lips, taking the challenge head on.

"Shoooootooooooooo!"

Endeavor's shout alarmed the audience nearby. He stomped his way to the railing, his lips pulled back into a crazy grin as he continued to praise him. Even Ayame and the 1-A booth can hear his shouts of…support.

"It all starts from here! With my blood, you will surpass me… You will fulfill my desire!"

Ayame stood up and nearly went over to him. Even now—that was all he could think about?

" **Endeavor suddenly shouts encouragement?** " Present Mic said hesitantly, " **Such a doting father…** "

Ayame frowned and sat back down. Right now, there were more exciting matters on hand. Todoroki's sudden blazing self and...Midoriya...how was he going to counter this?

"Why are you smiling?" Todoroki stared at the green haired boy, "With those injuries… In this situation… You're crazy… Don't blame me for what happens next."

Todoroki stomped his foot, ice bursting from under his right feet and expanding. Midoriya also circulated his power to his legs, readying a stance to counter the half-and-half boy. No one paid attention to Cementoss or Midnight trying to stop the fight. Todoroki sent a large scale ice attack—the same size as the first appearance—towards Midoriya. Midoriya jumped to close the gap, ignoring the mountain of ice behind him and Todoroki brought back his flaming fist.

"No way, no way—what the hell are they doing?!" Their classmates cried.

 _They're not going to stop!_

An explosion rang out through the arena, blasting through the cement the teacher has tried to stop them with. Rubble and shockwave attacked the audience as they raised their hands to cover the debris.

"What the heck?!" Mineta cried.

"What happened?" Yaoyorozu closed one of her eyes.

Ayame coughed when smoke filled the stadium.

" **What the heck is up with your class?** " Present Mic groaned.

" **The air that had been cooled thoroughly was suddenly heated up and expanded** ," Aizawa explained.

" **That's what created this explosion…? Just how hot was that?!** "

It took a couple more seconds before it finally cleared, everyone inching forward to look at the result of the battle. Present Mic was asking who had won the match while Midnight barely stood up from the impact, her mask discarded.

The first body the people could see…was a head of moss hair. The fog had cleared away from him and Midoriya was standing up but—not for long. He…passed out…right along the wall.

"M-Midoriya-kun is out of bounds…" Midnight announced.

Ayame quickly turned back to the stage. There, she saw a lone figure standing amidst the fog and rubble. He was breathing heavily as he looked at Midoriya's collapsed form; the left side of his shirt was burned completely—held up by two flimsy strings.

"Todoroki-kun advances to the third round!"

"Deku-kun!"

 _Crap_ , Ayame got up from her seat to run away from the booth.

"A-Ayame-chan! Y-your match!" Hotaru called out after her.

"I know!" Ayame glanced back, "I'll get to it soon!"

Right now, she could only focus on Midoriya's broken body and Todoroki's amazing powers. She knew right now, Todoroki would still not acknowledge her. All the times she had tried to reason with him, he brushed her off. So instead, Ayame decided to check on Midoriya first.

 _After all, I asked him a ridiculous favor…but Deku-kun—did you have to go this far too?!_

She slammed the door open to the nurse's office again, ignoring the other two adults in the room to run towards Midoriya on the bed. He had regained consciousness already but his face was twisted in pain. His eyes opened to see Ayame stop beside his bed, her hands clenching the bed sheets tightly and—were those—tears in her eyes?

"Deku-kun!" Ayame bowed her head lowly, "I'm so, so, so, sorry! I shouldn't have asked that of you—why did you push yourself so hard—are you okay?! R-Recovery Girl can heal you—right?"

"I'm seeing you quite a lot lately," Recovery Girl shook her head at Ayame, "You mustn't overwhelm the patient."

"S-sorry!"

"Senpai…" Midoriya whispered and Ayame turned to give her full attention to him. "Why are you here?"

"To apologize," Ayame looked down guiltily, "I'm really sorry, Deku-kun. I'm so—sorry—I asked for a selfish request and you—I—"

Ayame couldn't finish and her eyes landed on the multiple bandages wrapped around his arms. Even parts of his pants were ripped and his left leg was put into a cast. She could barely image the unbearable pain Midoriya must have felt now with all of his broken bones—with the result of the match.

"You…don't have to apologize," Midoriya tried to smile and yet—it looked feeble and weak in her mind when Ayame peeked at him. "I…also wanted to beat Todoroki-kun. It wasn't because of you—that I put myself in this state. Before…Todoroki-kun looked so sad that I meddled when I didn't need to…"

Todoroki's lone back… Ayame understood what Midoriya meant.

"Senpai…is always trying so hard for us, too. I didn't…want to let you down, too."

"Deku-kun," Ayame bit back a sob and shook her head. "I'm proud of you, okay? I'm super-duper proud of you! So don't worry, I'll take it from here now! I'll finish what we started!"

"A-Ayame-senpai…"

"Deku-kun!"

"Midoriya-kun!"

"Midoriya-chan!"

Many voices echoed the room when the door burst open again. Ayame turned around to see Hotaru, Ochako, Iida, Tsuyu, and Mineta rushing into the room. Their loud shouts of 'are you okay' and worried concerns were directed towards the bedridden boy. Ayame finally took the time to breathe and stepped back, freezing even more at the sight of the skinny blonde skeleton man wearing a dark grey suit.

"O-oh, I-I didn't see you there, sensei," Ayame bowed hastily.

"I-It's okay," Toshinari gave a weak smile.

"A-Ayame-chan!" Hotaru ran up to her and grabbed her hand. "Your match! We have to go now!"

"H-huh?!" Ayame gasped and turned to her kouhais, "Take care—Deku-kun! Everyone, we'll be back soon!"

Hotaru activated her Quirk and in a flash, both of them disappeared.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I got married! I'll upload pictures later when I receive them but thank you so much for the many blessings!

Ayame's hot head strikes again but you know what, I love it. I love her able to lash out at others and her recklessness because she will definitely regret it later. She's not a perfect good person either but she does have a soft spot for her kouhais.

This focuses more on the first years because I want to get their matches out of the way first. The second years will have their time to shine again next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it! I really love the reviews lately and appreciate all of them!

Reviews are much appreciated! I tend to read them at least three times a week—loool

PS. SOMEONE MADE AN YOUTUBE VID OF MY COMIC SO PLEASE GO CHECK IT OUT! I will link on my Tumblr ( **toomuchpineapples** ) THANK YOU QQ


	12. Shimizu Yuu : Origin

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

They barely made it back on time. Hotaru and Ayame arrived as soon as Ume announced her name. Ayame didn't have time to watch any other matches from the second years and instead, ran off to the stage so she wouldn't be disqualified.

"Tch, so she did make it on time," Takarada had recently finished his match and returned to the 2-A booth to sit. Yuu had a few classmates gathered around him but as soon as they noticed Takarada, they made way for the other boy to sit.

"Lucky her," Yuu smiled.

Ayame breathed and studied the opponent before her. The girl was a Class 2-B member, Aiko. She was cheery in the same sense as Eimi and from what Ayame remembered, they were best friends. Aiko's Quirk was a bit unique; she had the ability to make bubbles and roses appear out of thin air.

 _But…she often uses that around Yuu-kun and Takarada…_ Ayame sweat dropped. _Just like a shoujo manga…_

"Ayame-chan~!" Aiko sang from the other side of the stage, "Good luck!"

The brunette returned the smile. Well, Aiko wasn't a bad person anyways. "Let's have a good match!"

"Second round, first match; begin!" Ume announced.

As soon as it did, Ayame jumped back. Dozens of roses had appeared below her feet and from the other side; she heard Aiko let out a whine of disbelief. Her lilac eyes focused back on the pink haired girl and quickly, smoke began to manifest from Ayame again.

"Not so fast, Ayame-chan!"

Aiko waved her hand and dozens of little bubbles flew in her direction. Ayame gasped and attempted to pop the bubbles but before she can even reach them, the bubbles joined together into one giant one. Ayame was trapped in the floating sphere and she pounded on the thin wall, shocked that she couldn't break through.

"You did well, Ayame-chan!" Aiko smiled brightly, long tresses of pink hair blowing behind her, "But I'm going to win instead! I heard you were partners with Yuu-kun, too. I'm so jealous!"

The short girl cupped her hands to her cheeks, sighing dreamily about the vice president and giggled to herself.

"I'm going to end this now! Tell me more about your adventure with Yuu-kun later!"

Aiko motioned for the bubble to float out of the stage. Ayame gritted her teeth, eyes closing in concentration as she stopped pounding on the bubble. Instead, she imagined her trusty kitsune as before, forcing the nine tails to expand within the space.

"W-wait—stop!" Aiko gasped as the bubble began to shake and lose the circular form.

"This is a match, Aiko-chan!"

Ayame pulled back her fist and aimed a punch to the bubble. This time, the bubble popped from the attack in its unstable form and Ayame landed on the fox. The kitsune swished its tail around and flexed its full form, glowering at Aiko from above.

"I'm fighting seriously," Ayame commanded the kitsune to lower its body slightly, "If you're only focused on others, then I'll be taking my win now!"

The fox began to sprint forward. Aiko summoned flowers and bubbles to block its path but it was trampled afterwards. She pouted in displeasure and jumped on a large bubble, floating away.

"Not fair, Ayame-chan! Since when did you care about a tournament like this?!"

The smoky tendrils of the fox reconstructed its form to a tengu. Ayame stayed on the mount and have the bird fly upwards, chasing after Aiko.

"I've always cared," Ayame whispered more to herself than answering her opponent, "But it took me longer to realize 'caring' does not always equal to strength. So, I'm going to get desperate, too!"

After watching Ochako and Bakugo's match…Todoroki and Midoriya's as well, Ayame realized again how lacking she really was. Aiko had touched upon a sore spot for her; maybe Ayame really didn't care for the sports festival last year. Otherwise—how could she have lost on the first game? But she had wanted to win so badly—yet her determination had seized when she didn't see her family in the audience.

 _This time, I'm going to fight for myself_ , Ayame narrowed her eyes to concentrate on the bubble, pushing her tengu to fly faster. _1-A are giving their all—so why should I let something trivial stop me?_

"Brace yourself, Aiko-chan!"

The tengu sped through the bubble and popped it, causing Aiko to scream from her sudden lost in air. She faced the ground to create many bubbles and roses to cushion her fall, concentrating on the masses of flowers and soapy bubble to multiply.

Ayame swooped upwards on her bird and turned around to dive straight down—towards the falling girl. The claws grasped onto Aiko's uniform from the back, causing her to stop her Quirk while Ayame continued to hold Aiko down.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"Ayame has Aiko trapped!" Nao gasped from the booth, shaking his friend from the side excitedly, "Since when did she get so strong?!"

"Aiko-chan! Don't give up!" Eimi cheered from the next booth, "Nao-kun! We lost against her! You're just wondering _now_ why Ayame-chan is strong?!"

"It's different experiencing it and watching it!"

"Go, go, Ayame-chan!" Hotaru cheered.

They crashed onto the ground, kicking up a dust cloud around them and blocking the audience view. Aiko groaned beneath Ayame as she landed on wet roses and smoky, transparent trails of the tengu. Ayame was considerate enough to cushion a majority of the crash but—it still hurt like hell!

"That hurt…" Aiko whined and let her head fall down.

"Aiko-san! Will you still fight?" Ume asked from the sideline.

Aiko tensed and moved to say yes. Roses began to bloom and spun underneath Aiko and she turned her head to focus on Ayame. A speedy rose darted upwards to slice at the brunette and she moved at the last second, barely dodging the flower Aiko had meticulously sharpened from momentum. The flower brushed past her head and waves of light brown hair fell over her shoulders. Ayame gave more power to the tengu and the bird squeezed Aiko, forcing all of her body to stay on the ground.

"I give, I give!" Aiko barely cried out, "You're crushing me!"

"Aiko-san forfeits the match!" Ume announced, "Sasaki Ayame-san advances to the third round!"

The tengu disappeared into smoky trails and Ayame stood up, breathing heavily from the match. Her eyes were wide as she hastily helped Aiko up, laughing sheepishly when Aiko jokingly refused. Long strands of brown hair blew in the wind and Ayame raised one hand up to brush the hair from her face.

"She looks like LullaCry!"

"I didn't believe it until now!"

"That's the little sister!"

"What completely opposite Quirks though!"

"I like it!"

Ayame looked up from the cheers and focused on 2-A's booth. She could see a few classmates waving to her and she smiled back. Off to the side, she saw Takarada and Yuu looking at her.

"Annoying," Takarada frowned.

"She's doing better than expected," Yuu smiled in amusement and offered one hand up as a greeting.

"She'll lose eventually," Takarada didn't believe in her. It must be pure luck for Ayame to get so far within the sports festival. Their Quirk assessment barely showed any improvement with her—and now she had the ability to summon _two_ at once? Since when does she actually _train_?

"Oh! What's this? You're actually staring at the two princes?!" Aiko immediately bounced back to her cheery self, hopping up to Ayame with a wide grin.

Ayame snapped back to reality to stare at Aiko with a bewildered expression. She wasn't staring that much!

"No—that's not it—I was just saying to hi to my classmates!" Ayame quickly defended.

"Oho~" Aiko giggled with a love struck expression, "You can't fool me! I'm the queen of love, Ayame-chan~ I knew you weren't able to resist their charm!"

Ayame could only stare at her in disbelief. Once Aiko began to rant about 'love', no one could stop her. This girl was the embodiment of shoujo manga—always seeing something there when there's usually nothing going on between their classmates. And now—she wants Ayame to be the next victim?!

"You always act so aloof with them and arguing with Takarada-kun but—you actually like them! Ohhh, Ayame-chan! Tell me! Who were you really looking at?!"

"No one!" Ayame shouted and turned around to run away. "You read too much shoujo, Aiko-chan!"

"And you read too much shounen! You're a girl too, Ayame-chan! You can't lie to me!" Aiko chased after her.

* * *

By the time Ayame returned back to her booth, many of her classmates surrounded her.

"Oi, Ayame! Since when did you get so strong?!"

"Was it Aizawa-sensei that trained you?"

"Or LullaCry?!"

"Hey!" Ayame was offended, "I've always been strong!"

"Coulda fooled us," a few members from 2-B looked over the railing to snicker.

Ayame pouted at them and crossed her arms. She went back to sit with Hotaru, peeking over her shoulder to look at the phone she held. The match displayed on the screen was Bakugo versus Kirishima. Ayame was personally cheering for Kirishima and currently, he was putting Bakugo on the defensive!

"Aw, man, I wanna go cheer on Eijiro-kun too," Ayame sighed.

"It's probably best if you stayed, Ayame-chan," Usagi advised, "There are plenty of opponents in the bracket to be wary of."

"Don't forget, most of 2-A are still in the tournament," Natsumi stood up, "I'm going to go prepare."

"Ah, good luck, Natsumi-chan!"

"I-I'll go cheer for them in your place, Ayame-chan," Hotaru offered with a shy smile, "My Quirk will allow me to get in and out fast."

Her eyes light up at that information, turning to Hotaru with sparkling eyes. "Really? You'll do that? I want to go see the finals in person though! Give me a call when that happens!"

Hotaru nodded her head and with a quick wave, disappeared. Ayame turned her attention back to the next match and waited. The winner of this will be her opponent next round. Ayame also needed to stay wary of the future opponents as well…

There was a chance she may have to fight Shimizu Yuu or Takarada Noeru…

* * *

For the semi-finals for the first-years, they were Todoroki, Iida, Tokoyami, and Bakugo. Ayame had watched the matches on her phone while also keeping track of the second-year's battles. So far, all of the matches had ended quickly for them as well.

Todoroki had bested Iida fairly quickly compared to the other matches. Even though he took a direct hit from Iida's kick, he still managed to freeze Iida in the end. There were no flashy flames this time around and Ayame couldn't help but wonder why Todoroki seemed different from before. His ice from the previous rounds had been confident and overbearing but this time, it felt…almost cautious.

For Tokoyami and Bakugo's round, Ayame felt bad for Dark Shadow. Not many knew of his weakness and during their training exercise, she had kept Bakugo preoccupied. Now that they had to fight one-on-one, Bakugo quickly learned of Dark Shadow's weakness against light.

 _Kacchan's smart and strong too…_ Ayame sighed, _but what's with his attitude? Well, I guess it can be…endearing at times._

"Ayame, who are you cheering for in the finals?" Nao leaned over from the row behind her to ask, "You're pretty attached to those 1-A kids."

"They're cute!" Ayame quickly defended, "It's hard to say who will win… Todoroki-kun and Kacchan are both strong…"

"And handsome!" Aiko chirped in, "Especially that icy boy! Oh I love the strong and silent types!"

Ayame looked at Aiko oddly—where did she come from?! Did she sneak in from the other booth?! This girl—she always has love on her mind.

"If Todoroki uses his flames, I think he will win," Natsumi returned after her match with a stunning win, plopping down to sit next to Usagi.

"I think Bakugo will," Nao nodded his head; "I like his spunk!"

"Ne, Ayame-chan, what do you think?" Usagi turned to her with wide grey eyes, long bunny ears twitching. "You know them best. Who do you think will win?"

"Uh….." Ayame rubbed the back of her head, long brown hair moving with her. Since her hair tie had broken from Aiko earlier, Ayame had nothing else to fix her hair again. "Who knows…?"

They sighed at her sheepish response and suddenly, a flash of light appeared before them. Hotaru shook the dizziness from her head and locked her neon eyes to Ayame.

"The finals are about to begin!" Hotaru grabbed Ayame's hand, "You wanted to watch, right?"

Ayame grinned at the sight of her friend and nodded her head. "Oh, Hotaru-chan! I can always count on you!"

"You're leaving again?!" Nao gaped in disbelief.

"Ne, ne, take me, too! I want to see the cuties in person!" Aiko hopped over to Hotaru.

"Hey! I wanna go!" Eimi shouted from the wall and jumped up to look over them.

"H-Hotaru-chan, let's go," Ayame quickly grabbed onto the shorter girl and without wasting a second, they both disappeared.

"No fair," Aiko pouted, "She's keeping the cute boys to herself!"

"But I'm right here," Nao pointed to himself.

Aiko turned to him, looked at him up and down, and sighed in disappointment. Nao gaped again while his friend laughed at him from the side. Aiko turned her attention back to the two princes and lost herself in daydreams again.

* * *

Personally, Ayame didn't want to admit out loud who she wanted to win. Despite everything that had happened, maybe she felt a slight bias towards the half-and-half boy. Since the beginning, Todoroki appeared so…lost and alone that she couldn't help but to always find him. Even if it was not what he wanted, she hoped maybe she can change his mind.

"Ah! Ayame-senpai—you're here again?!" Kaminari asked as soon as they reappeared again.

"Do you guys _not_ want me here?" Ayame asked back; why was everyone always shocked about that?!

"No, that's not it," Jirou waved her hand with a laugh.

"We would not want to see you disqualified for missing your match, senpai," Tsuyu reassured.

"We're cheering for you from here!" Kirishima pointed to his phone.

"Ehe," Ayame grinned, "You guys have to come to the second-year's arena afterwards! We're not done yet!"

"Okay!"

Ayame took a seat next to Midoriya and Ochako, looking around but couldn't find their third partner.

"Where's Iida-kun?"

"He…had to leave early," Midoriya replied, "Due to family reasons."

"What?" Ayame gasped, "I hope he's okay!"

Hotaru stayed quiet as she took the seat next to Ayame. They all turned their attention back to the upcoming match. Both Todoroki and Bakugo were already on stage.

" **Start!** "

As soon as Present Mic announced the battle to begin, Todoroki slammed his hand down. A bombardment of ice was rushing forward in Bakugo's direction, causing the blonde to curse loudly and starts retaliating with explosions.

" **Todoroki gets a blow in right away! Is he trying to avoid close combat with Bakugo? Has the winner been decided already?!** "

"It's not on the same scale as in his match with Sero-kun," Midoriya analyzed, "He aimed his attack while being careful of what'll come next."

"His style changes depending on the opponent," Ayame added, "Against Kacchan…he wants to eliminate him as fast as possible."

Thudding can be heard from within the ice and echoing the stadium. It felt like the giant ice block was shaking with every sound.

"What's that sound?" Mineta asked.

"It's Bakugo-chan's doing," Tsuyu answered.

The ice cracked and a giant hole appeared in front of Todoroki. He jumped back to avoid the scattered ice while Bakugo hands were steaming with fire.

"Did he dig his way out through the ice like a mole with his explosions?" Sero asked in disbelief.

"That's so weird!" Kaminari shouted.

Bakugo launched himself out with his Quirk and Todoroki ran forward with his right hand stretched out. Right before Todoroki can touch him, Bakugo repositioned himself in midair to the right, avoiding the ice hand and grabbed onto his head and uniform.

"He avoided his right side and grabbed him?!" Midoriya exclaimed.

"Wow!" Ochako said.

"He's…a scary opponent," Ayame followed up.

Bakugo landed behind Todoroki and swung him over his shoulders. The boy flipped in midair a few times before quickly stabilizing himself with an ice slide and heading back to Bakugo. Using the ice for momentum, Todoroki surrounded Bakugo with ice. The blonde did not relent and ran forward with his right hand sparking in explosion. Immediately, Todoroki grabbed onto that hand with his left, shocking everyone when he merely…tossed him away.

"He's…not using it…" Ayame said softly, _he's avoiding his flames again…_

Both of them landed on the concrete again. From a few distance away, Bakugo slowly got up with a snarl.

"Stop screwing around," Bakugo taunted, "Am I not strong enough to make you use it?"

" **With the way he grabbed Todoroki's left side on purpose and timed his explosions… He's been doing his research. That kid's abilities shine every time he fights** ," Aizawa complimented Bakugo. " **Todoroki's moving well, too, but his attacks are too simple. Ever since the match with Midoriya, he's lost his touch.** "

Ayame glanced at the short boy next to her, silently wonder what had happened between them. Although they could not hear the exact conversation word for word, _something_ must have happened for Todoroki to use his flames against Midoriya…

Midoriya caught onto the stare and smiled sheepishly.

"Bastard…" explosions went off in Bakugo's hands, "I'll show you what'll happen if you make a fool of me! I'll kill you! I want an indisputable first place! I can't get that even if I beat scum that underestimates me! There's no point if I can't get higher up than Deku! If you have no intention of winning, then don't stand in front of me!"

" _Everyone—is doing their best in the tournament! So I hope—you will also fight with no regrets!"_

"Why are you standing here, damn it!" Bakugo rushed forward.

Todoroki looked at him in shock. Ice began to frost over his right side again, a sign that Todoroki was reaching his limit with his ice Quirk. Ayame couldn't take it anymore and stood up, leaning over the railing to scream.

"Todoroki Shoto! Win!"

He looked in her direction, eyes wide and surprised at her cheer.

"That damn senpai," Bakugo grunted and used his explosions to ricochet off the ground.

Todoroki focused back on the battle, heterochromia eyes glaring at the blonde. Fiery flames appeared on his left side, melting the ice from his right and pointed towards Bakugo. Bakugo looked absolutely excited and started to cast more explosions from his hands, twirling in midair into a tornado.

Everyone watched on for the clash, all wondering the same thing. Will Todoroki use the same move as he had done against Midoriya? But…no, Ayame saw—at the last second, Todoroki lowered his left hand and the flames…extinguished.

"Howitzer Impact!"

A giant explosion set off on stage again, breaking all the ice Todoroki had created before. It cracked and shattered, smoke and ice covering the stadium again as everyone waited for the results.

" **He added momentum and rotation to the huge blast he showed us in his fight with Uraraka! He was like a human projectile! It looks like Todoroki didn't fire off the huge blast in his match with Midoriya!** " Present Mic sounded just as excited, " **But the winner is—** "

The smoke cleared, revealing Bakugo face down on the stage. Right in front of him was a mountain of shattered ice block. Lying right on top…was Todoroki…unconscious.

"Todoroki—" Ayame stopped herself.

They watched as Bakugo forced himself to stand upwards, slowly making his way to the edge of the stage. Soon he broke into a sprint, reaching the unconscious boy in no time and—grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Stop screwing around!" Bakugo was angry, "Didn't I tell you that there was no point, damn it?! To get first place like this! Like this?!"

"Kacchan…" Ayame whispered but also didn't know what to say afterwards.

Midnight activated her Quirk; pink powder released from her skin and put Bakugo to sleep. She approached the two unconscious boys and raised one hand.

"Todoroki-kun is out of bounds! Which means, Bakugo-kun wins!"

There were cheers all over the stadium at the end. It felt like 1-A was quiet as they stared at the two unconscious boys, everyone not knowing how to react with Bakugo's sudden win.

" **All of the events have been completed! The winner of this year's first-year U.A.'s Sports Festival is from Class 1-A, Bakugo Katsuki!** "

"He…won…"

Everyone was stunned by the results. Maybe they were also not expecting Todoroki to suddenly…give up in the end.

"Oh no, Ayame-chan," Hotaru grabbed onto her hand again, "You're up again!"

"Already!?" Ayame barely had time to process any of this. Part of her was still worried about Todoroki—about Bakugo—and she wanted to see the awards presented but—she must fight again. She had plenty of leeway earlier because of all the matches but now—the numbers were dwindling fast.

"Don't worry, senpai," Ojiro comforted with a smile.

"We will go to your arena after!" Ochako reassured.

"O-okay…" Ayame still had a longing look on her face, eyes focused below on the unconscious boys while Hotaru kept tugging on her hand.

"A-Ayame-senpai," Midoriya turned to look at her seriously, "We'll be there."

Ayame finally smiled and nodded her head. Quickly, Hotaru's freckles glowed and both bodies disappeared. Midoriya turned back to Todoroki, his heart beating quickly as he formulated a plan to speak with him. It was what Ayame wanted, after all.

* * *

"I'm here, I'm here!" Ayame ran towards the stage quickly, resting her hands over her knees to catch her breath while Ume shook her head at her.

"You've been running late quite a lot today, Sasaki-san," Ume scolded lightly.

"S-sorry!" Ayame smiled sheepishly.

"Fancy running into you here, Sasaki." Her opponent greeted from the other side, silver hair shining under the sun.

"Hey there, Gin-kun!" Ayame waved.

Gin, another 2-A classmate. He was good friends with Nao, too, and the werewolf boy was definitely disappointed to see his friend pass but not him. Gin's Quirk was blood control but—it only works with his own blood.

"Ready… Begin!"

"It's a surprise you made it this far but, I'll be stopping you now!" Gin bit his finger and bleed, a long string of blood flown out like a whip.

Ayame shuddered briefly; she always did find his Quirk a little odd. "Why does everyone say that… I'm strong, too!"

"Well, it was luck you beat Nao," Gin moved to slam his whip forward. Ayame jumped away and looked back to see a small crack in concrete of where the whip hit. "But your opponent is me!"

Ayame frowned and crouched down, smoky trails emitted from her body again to take form of an ookami. The wolf darted forward in Gin's direction and he moved his whip to slice through the summon. The ookami jumped away and continued to close in to Gin.

"Damn it," Gin bit his other finger on his left hand, creating two long whips and used them both. The second whip sliced through the wolf but Ayame expected this result and reconstructed the trails into two smaller wolves. "I see you did improve!"

"Of course!" This time, Ayame ran forward too, "I'm not the same as before!"

"Still not good enough!"

The two whips sliced through the wolves and into Ayame. She let out a small yelp and jumped to the side, clutching her stomach where the blood tore open her uniform. Luckily, it did not cut into her skin.

 _Small summons won't work_ , Ayame thought, _I need to make them bigger—stronger._

Smoke manifested again from her body as she watched Gin move. He combined the two whips together and solidified the blood into a long sword. He began to dash forward while Ayame was still creating her creature, lilac eyes watching him seriously.

"Here goes!"

Gin swung his sword.

"Amaterasu!"

A giant ookami appeared; the design was different from Ayame's usual wolves. It had more swirls circling its body and smoke was dancing around the wolf's body like flames. The size was bigger than five of Ayame's usual ookamis _combined_.

Amaterasu's jaw snapped on the sword to prevent it from cutting into it. Gin gasped in surprise and tried to move the sword but—it would not budge. While he was kept in place, the wolf's paw moved up to swipe him away.

Gin cursed again and jumped back, leaving the sword locked in the wolf's jaw. The ghostly paw broke through the concrete of the stage and Ayame hopped onto her summon, smiling as she patted the head.

"It's funny," Ayame began, "Back in our first-years, you've often made fun of my little summons being based off games and comics. I wonder if you'll still say the same now?"

"Damn it," Gin smirked, "You've gotten cocky too."

He reached out his hand and revert the sword back into liquid. The blood returned back to Gin's hand and he recreated the two whips as before, moving to slash at the wolf.

"You're just an easier target now!"

Amaterasu ran forward despite the barrage of whips attacking it. It had torn apart the smoky swirls but Ayame reconstructed it quickly, one hand reached up to clutch her head. A minor headache was beginning to form but it was not painful enough to distract her concentration.

One whip circled around the wolf's front paw and the other reached up to attack Ayame. She jumped down from the wolf, allowing Amaterasu to pull the whip back while she ran in Gin's direction. Gin had one hand playing tug-of-war with Amaterasu and the other hand moved the whip in Ayame's direction.

"Ah!"

The whip latched onto Ayame's left hand and Gin tugged her towards him. She scowled, trying to think of a way to escape. Amaterasu was keeping Gin occupied but the boy was still strong by himself.

However, Gin was able to pull Ayame towards him, the whip bounced back to wrap around Gin's hand and hardened as a gauntlet. Once Ayame was within range, Gin punched her right in the stomach.

"Ayame-chan!" Hotaru gasped in surprise.

She looked around to see if other 1-A students were there to cheer for her but—no one else was here. Their classmates looked amused by the result. Hotaru knew they've been expecting Ayame to lose because she had never been serious in training but—she's changed! She knew Ayame has!

"Give it up, Sasaki," Gin smirked, "You did well making this far."

Ayame shivered from the ground. Crap, she hadn't gotten hurt in the tournament yet. _But it's not worse than the Nomu's…_ Ayame stood up and wiped the saliva from her mouth.

"I think you forgot something, Gin-kun," Ayame grinned, "I'm not alone."

"What?"

Gin realized too late. He turned around to see the giant wolf right behind him, smoky eyes glaring down at the boy. In one swift bite, Amaterasu swallowed Gin and kept him lock in its mouth. Gin tried to swim within the ghostly summon but Ayame moved faster, commanding the wolf to run out of the arena.

The blood around Gin's hand spiked up to pierce the wolf. Amaterasu stumbled but did not dissipate and Ayame ran forward. In a few more meters, they would be out of bound!

"Not yet!"

The blood spiked out even more and aimed for Ayame. Her eyes widen at the piercing blood flying at her and she jumped to the side. The wolf stopped for a brief second and Gin moved to jump out of the ghostly creature. He landed right beside the wolf and turned around to run away while the wolf was stopped.

"Hah!" Gin grinned, "Can't trap me!"

"That's what you think!"

Ayame slammed her fist forward and punched Gin, causing him to stumble back from the surprise attack. Gin gasped in pain, silently cursing when Ayame gotten so strong, and moved to jump at her.

"Gin-san is out of bounds!"

Ume's voice broke through the arena and Gin stumbled again, looking down to see the white line…a few inches in front of him. Since when did he step out?!

"Sasaki Ayame-san advances to the 4th round!"

"Hey… That Sasaki…really improved…"

"Damn it, Gin! How can you lose?!" Nao shouted.

"Yes, Ayame-chan!" Hotaru cheered.

"She's in the semi-finals now!" Usagi jumped with Hotaru.

"Wow…" Natsumi was also stunned, a slow smile emerging on her lips as she looked at Ayame. "If I win my next match…I'll be fighting her next."

"Well, good luck then, Natsumi-san," Yuu stood up at that time, icy blue eyes turning towards the short girl. "Let's have a fair match."

She smiled but it felt strained. Right, Natsumi must beat the second in the class, Shimizu Yuu, first.

Takarada glared down on the stage, not paying attention to his classmates behind him. His crystal eyes were locked on Ayame's form below as she waved to the crowd happily.

 _How the hell…did she improved so much?_

* * *

All Might was the one to present the awards to the first-years. Midoriya watched as the three students stood on the first, second, and third place podium respectively. Tokoyami was alone, however, as Iida was supposed to be up there with him. Midnight had briefly explained Iida's absence due to a family emergency and Midoriya hoped his friend will be alright.

In the end, that had concluded the first-year's sports festival. Everyone was bustling around excitedly but a majority of Class 1-A was gathering around quickly.

"Hurry! Ayame-senpai won her third match!" Kaminari pointed to his phone.

"We missed out so many of her matches already!" Ochako waved her hands around. "She came to support us—we need to go do the same now!"

"I saw her stomach," Mineta blushed with an odd smile, "That last match…that Gin-senpai—he really knows how to rile up the audience!"

"Mineta-chan, Ayame-senpai would not be happy with that remark," Tsuyu lightly scolded.

"Oi, Bakugo! Let's go!" Kirishima went to grab Bakugo, laughing at his angry face and hands still in handcuffs. "We can see our senpai fight!"

"Damn half-and-half bastard! Rematch! Right! Now!" Bakugo roared, ignoring Kirishima's attempt at dragging him along.

Todoroki did not even spare him a glance. He looked down on his left hand; the heat of the flames was still lingering beneath. He looked towards the student's booth in 2-A's section but no one was there.

"T-Todoroki-kun!"

He focused back to the front and saw the short boy standing before him.

"Midoriya…"

"Can I—talk to you for a second?"

Todoroki blinked slowly. He didn't feel the same hatred as before. Midoriya…had been the one to remind him of the past during the match. He was battered and beaten, using his Quirk to negate his ice just to have a standing chance on the same stage as him. Now, Todoroki was feeling a bit confused but…not as angry any more.

"What is it?" Todoroki asked as soon as they were moved to the side of the exit.

Midoriya noticed the change in mood with the other boy; he didn't put up the cold intimidation as before. Todoroki felt almost…approachable now.

"U-um!" Midoriya wished he knew where to begin, "I—well—you see—um—"

Todoroki stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue although he had no idea what this was about. Was Midoriya trying to confess?

"A-Ayame-senpai!" Midoriya managed to say her name, "She—I think—you should give her a chance…!"

"…what?"

"I know it's none of my business—and your family circumstances are difficult but… Senpai was the one—who encouraged me to fight you," Midoriya grew more confident with each word, looking at Todoroki boldly. "She—talked back to Endeavor and cheered for you in the finals…! She—may seem pushy but I think—she's just passionate about what she believes in!"

Todoroki blinked, unexpected for this sudden conversation. He hadn't expected Midoriya to…personally come up to him to talk about their upperclassman. What did he mean when he said Ayame _talked back_ to his father?

"We're going to the second-year's stage to cheer for her," Midoriya turned around, "I think…she would be happy if you came, too."

Midoriya left to join Ochako and the others, all of them racing out of the stadium to meet at the second-year. He really hoped…Todoroki would listen to him. Although Ayame had not requested Midoriya to do such a thing, he felt like he owed it to her. Especially when right before she left, Ayame had been so adamant and daring.

" _So don't worry, I'll take it from here now! I'll finish what we started!"_

 _After Ayame and Hotaru left, Recovery Girl had ushered the rest of the 1-A students to leave. Midoriya was still feeling disappointed and angry at himself, apologizing to All Might with a hand covering his face._

" _It's true that it is a regrettable result," Toshinari said quietly, "Saying what you did was foolish won't change that."_

 _Toshinari smiled in reassurance then._

" _But you know, meddling when you don't need to…is the essence of being a hero. You and your senpai should feel proud of that fact."_

Todoroki stared at his classmates back running out of the stage. He could hear their shouts of hurrying the others along and cheering for their teacher assistant. Midoriya's words rang in his mind as Todoroki looked in the second-year's arena, contemplating.

" _I'll prove to you that I'm different than what you or anyone else believes me to be! I'll show you that people can change—starting with me! Just watch me!"_

Slowly, Todoroki walked in that direction.

* * *

Natsumi lost against Yuu.

It was hard to say whether it was an expected or unexpected result. Shimizu Yuu was the second in their class—in their year of being the strongest contender. Natsumi had done her best to hold out against him and had managed to even hit him once. But that was as far as she could get before being washed off the stage by Yuu's Quirk.

Usagi was the next person to be eliminated. The bunny was a strong opponent as well but against an opponent that can shoot energy beam from his _hands_ , Usagi was easily overpowered. Both girls appeared to be completely unsatisfied to have lost as they returned back to the booth, heading straight to Ayame.

"Ayame-chan!" Usagi grabbed onto the girl's shoulders, startling the brunette. "You're the last girl for the semi-finals! You have to do your best!"

"Against Shimizu…" Natsumi clicked her tongue, "Find a way to battle around his water."

"Uh—okay!" Ayame tried her best to follow them. Her eyes landed to Yuu again as he looked amused in their direction. He casually turned back on stage where Takarada was fighting another Class 2-B member.

His opponent was someone with a flexible body Quirk. He can stretch his body out and twirl his hands into a tornado for an extra powerful punch.

 _Kinda reminds me of the main character from the pirate shounen_ , Ayame thought to herself in amusement.

But in the end, Takarada remained undefeated. Both he and Yuu were the instant killers of the second years. They were able to quickly subdue their opponent and send them out of the arena before the other knew what hit them.

"That's last year's winner, Takarada Noeru!"

"Wow, his Quirk had gotten stronger too!"

"Amazing!"

"He was first in the battle royale this time too! Is he going to win again?!"

Takarada left the stage without a word. The next match up would be Yuu versus that Sasaki. He had no doubt Yuu would win. Against that girl who relied on luck; how can he lose?

As he made his way back upstairs, someone was already waiting for him. Noeru tensed as he stared at Tatsuo standing by the wall. His fists clenched together involuntarily but Noeru still bowed his head in respect.

"Father."

"This looks like a repeat of last year," Tatsuo commented blankly, "That Shimizu boy better put up a good match."

"Yuu would," Noeru defended with a slight edge in his tone, "He would not waver on such an important event."

Tatsuo hummed, looking at his son who had reached his height already. He knew his son was strong, he had seen his matches from the previous year and now; but Tatsuo doesn't believe 'hero' was what Noeru should be. That job was a self-indulgent role for adults who never grew up from children.

Noeru was meant for greater things than that. He was a _Takarada_. It was in their blood to be stronger, better, smarter than the average civilian.

"That may be so," Tatsuo finally said, "But, since he is your…friend, he should also know of your agreement with me." Tatsuo turned around to walk away, "Winning…by relying on your friend's kindness… How disgraceful."

Noeru glared at his father's back, biting back the remark he wanted to say. Noeru wanted to yell and fight back; defending Yuu that he would not do that—that Yuu was also serious in becoming a hero—

But he cannot.

Since the beginning, Noeru did not know Yuu's true thoughts at all.

* * *

Shimizu Yuu was born in a prestigious family.

The Shimizu clan was well versed in onsen and tea ceremonies, making them a well-known traditional clan across Japan. Anyone with money would spend their vacation in the many Shimizu hot spring resorts high up in mountains or close to the beach to receive luxury treatment.

And, the only heir to the Shimizu clan was Shimizu Yuu.

Since young, Yuu was trained meticulously in the art of tea ceremonies, business, management, and traditional values that had been passed down the Shimizu clan for generations. He had a powerful Quirk inherited from his parents to control the onsen business. The young boy was perfect in everything he was trained in, nearly earning the title of 'prodigy'.

Shimizu Yuu was the perfect doll for his family.

He does not get angry, he does not fight. Yuu had trained, since young, to control his emotions and only allow gentle smiles to surface. His family had planned out his life for him. His family had controlled him since young.

And Yuu allowed them.

There was not a lot Shimizu Yuu desired.

He followed the strict regime because it was his duty. He excelled in his studies because it was only _natural_ for him to.

But Yuu never said he enjoyed them. Yuu was excellent in everything he attempted; but there was no joy in learning when he can easily perfect it.

He never found anything of interest—and found many things…boring.

When Shimizu Yuu met Takarada Noeru, he thought he found a companion.

Takarada Noeru grew up in the same controlling environment as Yuu. Noeru had a domineering father that controlled his future, a prestigious reputation and responsibility to his family, and was heir to their respective clan.

But, it wasn't long until Yuu realized, Noeru was different.

Noeru was different…in the sense that he was… _pure_.

Noeru's emotional inept was due to his lack of love. It was something Yuu had the privilege to receive—but not him.

Noeru's childhood dream—was to be a hero like All Might… A dream that Yuu had found ridiculous because _heroes_ were only there for fame and fortune.

Noeru was pure—because since young, he wanted to help people with his powers. He didn't want to exploit others with his Quirk to gain wealth. He wanted to be a hero like All Might.

Yuu was only able to learn all of that—because Noeru had confided in him when they were hiding from their family. This seven year old boy, who had grown up in similar environment as him, was more…kind than Yuu can ever try to be. Noeru truly wanted to help people but every time he mentioned that to his father, he was harshly reprimanded by Tatsuo.

And so, Yuu taught him the way to trick adults.

" _You must control your emotions," Yuu whispered, "If you act just like them, they will listen to you."_

Maybe, now that Yuu thought about it, he was the cause for Noeru's emotional dysfunction. Because Noeru had listened to his first friend seriously and masked his emotions so well—he looked just like his father. He had learned to be apathetic and condescending—where the mask had seeped far into his face and encased his heart.

It was different from the mask Yuu wore; Yuu knew he was twisted in his own way—but not Noeru. Noeru had chained up his emotions so well that the mask became a part of him.

And, the only time that mask slips, was around Sasaki Ayame.

In a way, Yuu can kind of understand Noeru's…fixation on her. She was wild and free, not scared by their family reputation and let her emotions loose unlike them. Ayame always spoke her mind and was boisterous and kind—a comic relief to their class that everyone enjoyed speaking to.

But, due to her first-year, everyone had written her off as a weakling; a girl that could never compare to her overachieving sister. And no one could blame them—not when Ayame always spoke of video games and comics, always laughing off her failing grade and always playing around with her Quirk—not training.

And yet…she had managed to make her way to the semi-finals of this year's tournament.

It was amusing, in Yuu's mind, to see such a drastic change in her. Not many things can arouse Yuu's interest and yet, seeing her stand valiantly before him—was, dare he say, _entertaining_. Just hours ago, Ayame had been the one to grasp his hand boldly, confidently saying she will take care of their opponents as long as he supported her.

Now, they were enemies.

"Let's do our best, Yuu-kun!" Ayame smiled from the other side.

"Ah, how ironic," Yuu smiled, "We were such great teammates awhile ago."

Yuu had seen the way she fought the previous rounds. Ayame had improved—immensely. It seemed like the lock she put on herself was gone. Now, Ayame was confident and reckless with her abilities.

 _But…_ Yuu smirked to himself, _that lock isn't hard to place on._

"Sasaki Ayame versus Shimizu Yuu! Begin!"

As soon as it began, Ayame readied a stance, dark smoke trails floating around her body yet it did not take form, prepared to counter any attack he throws at her. Yuu was…unexpectedly, not summoning his water.

Instead, he was walking leisurely to her.

"What's…Shimizu-senpai doing?"

Class 1-A looked down with a surprised expression. They had managed to arrive on time for Ayame's match. Even Bakugo had begrudgingly followed—but it was only because he 'wanted to see the others fight', his words exactly.

"T-Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya gasped in surprise. _He—really came!_

Todoroki gave a small nod in acknowledgement before all of them turned back to the match. Bakugo glared at the heterochromia boy once yet Todoroki paid no attention to him. They could only watch Yuu walk up to Ayame with his usual smile, shocking the brunette to even— _move_.

"Ayame-san," Yuu was within reach now. His hand reached up to her face, index finger brushing along her cheek—then to the loose strand of long brown hair near her ear. "You have such pretty hair."

"What is he doing?!"

"Yuu-kun?! What?!"

"This is a match—isn't it?!"

"Why is she just standing there?!"

"Get away from Yuu-kun!"

Everyone was shocked by the boy's sudden affection. Even Ayame had frozen from Yuu's touch, her eyes wide and mouth parted from his proximity. T-this was a match—right? What was he doing?!

"Y-Yuu-kun?" Ayame blinked at him, the smoke slowly disappearing.

Yuu kept his smile up.

"Your hair," he continued, "Reminds me of LullaCry."

Ayame's blood froze.

It was different from the way her body tensed by his touch. This type of chill can only be felt when Ayame felt her incompetence eat up within her, relentlessly reminding her she will never be good as her sister.

"You put it up before…to differentiate yourself from Yume-senpai, right?" Yuu brought a lock of hair up to his lips, gently kissing it before allowing the strands to slip from his fingers.

Ayame's face was a look of pure horror. She didn't want to believe—she didn't want to accept that Yuu—a classmate she had considered a friend—purposely tormenting her like this.

 _I'm not kind, Ayame-san_ , Yuu smiled again, _Noeru…is the kind one between us._

"W-what is senpai doing?!"

"A-Ayame-senpai is just standing there!" Kirishima gasped.

"Did she fall prey to his charms?!" Mineta cried out, "Again?!"

"No…" Midoriya answered, "Ayame-senpai…looks…scared…"

Todoroki frowned at the icy blue haired boy, his mismatched eyes turning back to Ayame. She was still frozen by Yuu's words and he was mentally hoping to see the familiar hotheaded flare from her again. Why would she allow herself fall victim to his charm—or was that even considered _charm_ when Ayame looked so terrified?

"It's a shame, really," Yuu leaned down to whisper, setting one hand on her shoulder, "That you are nothing like her."

Suddenly, water appeared out of thin air to surround Ayame. She choked back a cry as she was engulfed in a water sphere, eyes burning from the liquid and quickly losing oxygen. Yuu moved the water bubble up, his smile turning into a smirk and through her hazy vision Ayame saw his eyes.

Icy blue…excited and cold.

"Ayame-senpai!" Ochako yelled.

"Don't give up!" Kaminari and Sero followed.

"S-senpai!" Midoriya cheered as well.

Todoroki gripped the railing as he saw the bubble float higher up. Yuu was commanding the water to move out of the stage. Ayame clutched one hand to her nose, her lungs screaming for oxygen as she tried to swim out of the giant sphere. Her eyes looked up again and accidentally saw the audience.

Her family was nowhere to be found.

Ayame closed her eyes again to focus, ignoring the painful ache within her lungs and stomach as she tried to keep the water out. Somewhere, in the corner of her mind, she thought she heard voices call out to her. It sounded like they were screaming her name—telling her to wake up.

"Senpai!"

Her eyes snapped open and looked towards the audience again. There, in 1-A's booth, were her kouhais. In the very front was the boy with white and red hair—eyes of grey and turquoise were staring fiercely in her direction. Even though he did not speak—Ayame felt what he was trying to convey.

 _Don't you dare give up! You still need to keep your promise!_

Smoke manifested from Ayame quickly, entwining together and surrounding Ayame in a cocoon. A serpent form began to appear around Ayame as the dragon flew out of the sphere, bringing Ayame on it as it landed back on the stage. Ayame coughed the leftover water from her lungs, her body wet completely from head to toe but—her lilac eyes were angry in Yuu's direction.

 _I was right_ , Ayame thought, _I knew—something felt off about Yuu-kun—!_

"I've been wondering…" Ayame said with labored breaths, unzipping the heavy jacket and discarding it to the side. "This is…the real you…isn't it, Yuu-kun?"

Yuu kept the perfect smile on his face.

"I don't understand what you mean?"

The water bubble fell back onto the stage. Ayame's dragon surrounded her protectively as the water splattered around them. Yuu waved his hand and water shot out in her direction. Ayame hopped onto the dragon and floated on stage.

"This is good, this is good," Mineta muttered to himself happily, eyes focused on the tight black tank top on Ayame. "I have a newfound respect for Shimizu-senp—ow!"

Jirou lifted her fist from his head, glaring at the perverted boy before turning her attention back to the two clashing upperclassman.

"What happened with Ayame-senpai?" Jirou asked quietly.

"Weren't they friends…?" Ochako asked, "They…worked so well in the battle royale…"

"He must have said something!" Kirishima added, "Senpai…looks mad."

Takarada looked down from his side of the stage. A few rows below him, he can hear his classmates screaming about Yuu and Ayame's…'affection' as well. He cared none for that as his crystal eyes focused back on his childhood friend, thinking, _why is he just playing with her? Hurry and end this already, Yuu._

Shimizu Yuu had always been perfect in his eyes. He was the only one that can stand right beside Takarada's side. Yuu was intelligent and cunning, the perfect heir to lead the Shimizu clan into further greatness. Yuu never wavered in his decision and everything was easily achievable within his grasp. But, he never flaunted his wealth or his intelligence, keeping the humble appearance in public and at home.

Takarada had admired him for that.

Despite growing up in the same condition as him, Yuu was...kind. He was respected in his family and he was admired by his peers. People had often said Takarada was the luckier of the two but—how can he compare to Yuu?

" _Damn old man," fourteen year old Noeru entered the sliding door to Yuu's room, sitting down on the tatami mat with a scowl as he shrugged off his uniform. "We signed a contract today."_

 _Young Yuu looked up from practicing his tea ceremony, gently lifting up the green yukata sleeve to rest his hand over his folded legs._

" _That's new," Yuu smiled, "What for?"_

" _I'm going to U.A. High School," Noeru brushed back his hair, "So he will finally acknowledge me to be a hero."_

 _Yuu blinked in surprise. Noeru had often mentioning his dreams when they were children but as they grew older, the older boy never brought it up again. Yuu had thought his friend had forgotten such a dream—until now. And…he's saying he wanted to go to U.A.?_

" _Interesting," Yuu smirked, resting one hand on his chin in a lazy manner, "I can probably pull some strings behind the scenes—get recommendation and such—"_

" _No," Noeru frowned, "The agreement was for me to earn my place. To be the top of my class during my period in U.A. It's meaningless if I was recommended."_

" _Wow," Yuu blinked, "You're really risking everything."_

" _It was the only way for him to listen," Noeru scowled again, pushing back the mocking look in his father's eyes away from his mind. "It doesn't matter. Compared to the lessons that old man put me through, becoming number one in U.A. is child's play." His crystal eyes turned to his friend then, serious yet inquiring as he said, "…Let's meet up in U.A."_

 _Yuu blinked again. Was Noeru…asking him to attend U.A. with him?_

 _ **Maybe that wouldn't hurt**_ _, Yuu thought,_ _ **I was starting to get bored of this routine life.**_

" _It's going to take a while to convince my parents," Yuu sighed, "But if I don't go with you, you're going to be friendless for all three years."_

 _Takarada scowled for the third time._

 _You never said you wanted to be a hero, Yuu_ , Takarada continued to look down at the two opponents fighting. _What are you really thinking this whole time?_

 _Yuu stretched in front of Noeru, smiling as Present Mic announced the first-year's final stage in the tournament. Both of them had made it onto the finalist in their first sports festival. It was a result both had expected, one that Noeru had been hoping for._

" _I'm going to win, Yuu," Noeru declared, "But don't you dare hold back."_

 _Yuu chuckled in amusement, brushing his icy blue hair away from his face to smile at his friend._

" _Of course I won't," Yuu smiled,_ _ **I just need to stage a great play.**_

 _He never had any intention of winning._

 _And Noeru knew._

 _Noeru had seen the previous stages. He had seen Yuu's eyes change from boredom to excitement as the matches began. The boy toyed with his opponents and messed with their minds, a complete change from his normal demeanor._

 _Noeru can understand why Yuu had his own mask, too. Shimizu Yuu never had control over his life. Yuu had never mentioned how he 'convinced' his parents to attend U.A., and Noeru never questioned it. They both had family complications to go through; if anyone thought that simply because they were in prestigious family meant they had an easy life—they were foolishly wrong._

 _The only time Yuu can be wild—was during a competition like this. No one can control Yuu's Quirk; that was his own power no one can rule over. He felt powerful and strong, feeling absolutely free and unrestrained with his power._

 _But against Noeru, his friend since age six, the person who wanted to be a hero more than anyone—Yuu controlled himself. All he had to do was provide a good show to the old Takarada patriarch and lose. Yuu wasn't invested in being a hero like everyone else here._

"It's been fun, Ayame-san," Yuu smiled pleasantly, "But it's time to end this."

Water sped towards Ayame, circling the girl and the serpent as she stared at Yuu with wide eyes. The water closed in on her again and Ayame moved to fly higher. The water followed with every inch, chasing after her close behind.

"You can run, if you want," Yuu said lightly, "But it's futile."

Ayame gritted her teeth, eyes focusing back to the boy standing in the center of the stage. Why—why did Yuu change so much? Back when they were partners—he would never openly taunt their opponents like this.

Was this really him?

Was this really—Shimizu Yuu—the boy everyone in the class depended on? The boy with gentle smiles and graceful bearings that can put girls to shame? If so—how did no one notice it? If this was really him—why was he showing himself now? To mess with Ayame's mind?

"I don't have time to play around," Yuu's voice lowered in warning.

She glared at him. The serpent dragon had flown high and suddenly—it turned around. It started diving straight down, through the spiral of water chasing it, and immediately flying towards Yuu. Yuu stepped back in mild surprise—he wasn't expecting Ayame to be on the offensive.

"I'm not playing!"

The dragon crashed right into Yuu, sending him straight to the ground on his back while Ayame straddled him on top. One of her hand was clutching his collar while the other hand was slammed on the floor next to his head. Her eyes, shining and angry—were glaring at Yuu's surprised blue ones.

"You—!" Ayame lifted his collar higher, "None of us are here to play around! Stop looking down on us! When you were fighting against your opponents—were you just thinking they're here to play?! Everyone is working hard to be a hero! Why are _you_ here?!"

Yuu controlled his expression again and looked at her blankly. This girl—who does she think she is?

"Because I _can_ ," Yuu whispered mockingly.

Streams of water wrapped around Ayame from behind. She was lifted off of him by the water surrounding her, struggling to break free—and failing. Yuu dusted himself off as soon as she was away, the water continued to entrap her once more.

"Liar!"

Ayame screamed and fought, lilac eyes glaring into icy blue ones.

"It's more than that and you _know_ it! Shimizu Yuu—you wouldn't be here for all three years just to trick everyone into believing you're someone you're not!"

It was reckless, she knew. It was stupid, she knew. Ayame was still holding onto a small part—that Yuu was only pretending right now. The kind and helpful Yuu, the smiling and gentle Yuu—they were him too, right?

Although Ayame was not close to him and had only really spoken with him during the battle royale—what about all those girls who were heartbroken because of his gentle side? What about their classmates who had gotten close to him—?

What about Takarada—

Her eyes widen, staring at Yuu with a newfound knowledge.

His secret, the one Yuu whispered to her hours ago—was ringing in her mind.

That—couldn't be it.

No, Ayame refused, there was nothing for her to confirm.

"But," Yuu smiled again, one that was familiar and kind. A smile he had put on hundreds of time—a smile he had perfected since childhood. "What if you're wrong? What if—I _am_?"

Ayame clenched her fists.

"Then I'll beat you."

Dark wisps of smoke swirled around Ayame again. It circled her arms and legs, her head and torso as it slowly gave her to strength to move in the water trapping her body.

"I won't let you trample on our dreams," Ayame pulled back her fist, "Including Takarada's!"

Amaterasu appeared between the two of them, rescuing Ayame from the water and pounced on Yuu. Yuu escaped at the last second to jump by his water sphere, an amused smirk on his lips at the sight of an angry Ayame. He knew that giant wolf was stronger than her normal one. She must be really upset to have called upon it.

But what was that stupid last remark?

Trample on Noeru's dreams?

It was what he was _preventing_.

"So you're going to get serious now?" Yuu chuckled softly, "Then so will I."

He put his hand into the water sphere, heating the liquid within to an abnormal degree. Steam began to form from the water and Yuu forced the water to spread out over the arena. Soon, the water evaporated into a steamy mist, clouding everyone's view from the match.

"What's going on?!" Ashido gasped.

"It's Shimizu-senpai's Quirk!" Midoriya answered. "He heated the water to create steam!"

"We can't see anything now!" Sero groaned.

"What the heck is happening?!" Mineta cried out, "They're all—over each other!"

"Can you focus on the match for once, Mineta-san?" Yaoyorozu sighed.

 _She's mad_ , Todoroki thought to himself, ignoring the rest of the class to see the shadows move around within. _But_ _ **why**_ _is she so mad?_

"I have to thank you, Ayame-san," Yuu's voice echoed in the mist around her. Ayame whirled around to locate the source, her ookami standing next to her protectively. "This had been an enjoyable match. But, I have to beat you now—because I'm _not_ going to ruin Noeru's dreams."

Ayame gritted her teeth and dodged to the side, still unable to miss the water attack completely as she turned to the source. The heated water had burned part of her left arm but she ignored it in favor of facing Yuu.

"By giving him a free win?!" Ayame guessed as much, "Do you think—someone as prideful as Takarada—would want that?!"

She turned around right as she saw a fist flying towards her. Ayame sidestepped the attack and grasped his wrist in one hand. She got behind him quickly and pushed Yuu down on the ground while Amaterasu was glaring down at the boy from the front.

"If he's here to be a hero—then what about _you_?! Why are _you_ here?!"

" _You let me win," Noeru glared at Yuu, his trademark frown upon his lips as he looked down at the fallen boy._

" _No way," Yuu helped himself up, "You bested me, as always."_

" _Yuu…" Noeru stared at him, "Do you actually want to be here?"_

" _Why not?" Yuu brushed back his hair, a small smirk on his lips as he turned towards the audience. "It's better than any other school. Seeing the other students competing…how interesting. Maybe I'll find my own goals one day, too."_

 _ **But so far, everyone else seems subpar compared to us**_ _, Yuu's smile dropped,_ _ **how boring.**_

Yuu turned his head and moved to slam his elbow up. He hit Ayame's stomach directly, causing her to fall backwards from the attack. Amaterasu moved to bite Yuu's arm and lifted him from the ground while Ayame coughed.

"I'll beat you," Ayame glared at Yuu, forcing herself to stand again as she ran towards him, "I'll show you—our desperation to win!"

Smoky tendrils wrapped around Ayame's right arm. The form of a serpent began to appear but—Amaterasu was not disappearing. The serpent coiled around her arm and fist as she brought the hand back and—slammed it forward. Amaterasu released Yuu's arm as soon as Ayame hit him, causing the boy to fly backwards.

The steam finally cleared from the arena. Everyone watched eagerly onto the stage. They saw Yuu fallen on the ground, one hand clutching his stomach while the other was brought up to his lips. Ayame was standing tall and breathing heavily, tan hair blowing in the wind with one hand reached up to clutch Amaterasu's smoky fur.

Yuu looked enthralled by her state. His icy eyes were wide and focused on hers, an amused smirk split onto his face as he got up. She's challenging him? Ayame—wanted to beat him?

"Then let's play, Ayame," Yuu grinned and took a step forward.

Waves of water appeared behind Yuu. Ayame flinched yet stood her ground, lilac eyes focusing on the streams of water dashing towards her. She jumped on Amaterasu and the wolf dashed forward.

"She's running into the water?" Tokoyami asked curiously.

"What is she planning?" Sato wondered.

 _Let's hope this works_ , Ayame thought seriously, _Just like how he did it._

Amaterasu began to change forms. The smoky wisps moved to reconstruct the body again, elongating the wolf's body into two serpents. Ayame clutched onto the mane tightly and the serpents began to twirl around each other.

"That damn senpai," Bakugo said again, glaring at the cyclone rushing straight into the water, "That's my move."

Yuu moved his hands into the water, heating up the temperature within as his eyes were focused on the incoming twister. It had slowed Ayame down—but barely, as the serpents were moving so fast—it created a mini whirlpool within the water.

 _Damn it,_ Yuu smirked sardonically; _you're just as reckless, too._

 _But I'm not losing!_

A pool of water appeared beneath Yuu, circling his legs as he used the water to prepare for the upcoming attack. The flood of water circled around to chase Ayame and the serpent; Yuu continued to disrupt the water current within, trying to apply pressure to slow them down.

"I'm going to win!"

The twister shot through the water and straight into Yuu. He rose up his arms to block and felt himself fly back. The water moved behind him to stop his momentum but the pain from the impact disrupted his concentration. Yuu gasped and flew through the water while Ayame's serpents disappeared, leaving her to fall straight down on the ground.

It took a second for everyone to register what happened. As the mist, smoke, and water finally cleared, they saw the result of the match.

"Shimizu Yuu is out of bounds!"

Ume's shocking voice brought everyone's attention to the stage. Ayame was lying down but—she was still within the line at the very edge. Meanwhile, Yuu had landed a few meters away, eyes wide by their teacher's voice.

"Sasaki Ayame advances to the grand finals!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

Do you guys like the Sunday updates or is there any day / time you guys prefer this?

I just love BnHA so much and am writing a lot of chapters now ahah. The Sports Festival is reaching the conclusion soon! I love Yuu and Ayame's match a lot too…and a lot of future scenes to come…gonna be my fav as well ahaha

Reviews or comments would be much appreciated! Please let me know what you think! How do you guys feel about Yuu? Takarada will have his time to shine too!


	13. Takarada Noeru : Origin

_**JuggernautJJ:**_ _I can't wait for takarada and ayame's fight to essentially become two kids fighting in a playground._

.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

" _Thank you so much for the notes, Shimizu-kun!" Ayame chirped happily._

" _We definitely needed this," Nao laughed._

" _O-oh! This formula…when written like this…oh—it makes more sense," Hotaru mumbled to herself, quickly jolting down notes on her own homework._

 _Yuu smiled kindly at the small gathering of classmates around his table._

" _It's not a problem, Sasaki-san," Yuu leaned over to point towards Gin's homework, "That doesn't add up right. You need to use this equation for it."_

" _Ugh, I hate math," Gin erased his work and started over again._

" _Oh—you can call me 'Ayame'!" She said offhandedly, setting down her pencil to stretch with a smile in Yuu's direction. "I prefer my given name than surname."_

" _Don't worry, with your grades, no one would ever confuse you with Sasaki Yume-senpai," Gin snickered._

 _Ayame gaped at him. "I-I-I never said that!"_

" _Besides, you can't expect_ _ **the**_ _Shimizu heir to call you so casually," Nao added, "You can never reach his level."_

 _Ayame blinked. "Oh," she turned to Yuu with wide eyes, leaning close to whisper, "Is your family…with the mafia?"_

" _You idiot!" Gin yelled._

 _Nao burst out laughing and even Hotaru was trying to stifle her giggles. Yuu looked mildly shocked before a slow smile emerged. Ayame's cheeks redden in embarrassment and they can practically see questions marks hovering over her head._

" _W-what?!"_

" _My family has nothing to do with the black market," Yuu reassured, "But I'll take you up on that offer, Ayame-san. And everyone, please, call me 'Yuu' as well."_

" _Great!" Ayame sighed in relief, "Thanks, Yuu-kun!"_

" _Next she's gonna say she never heard of the Takarada family, too," Gin mumbled._

 _The brunette flushed again, nervously looking towards Hotaru and whispered, "Is his family well-known too?"_

" _Are you serious?!"_

* * *

Ayame panted, her eyes widened in shock by Ume's announcement. Thunderous applause and cheers echoed the stadium as she looked towards the crowd—towards 1-A—cheering _her_ name. Her kouhais were in the front, screaming along with the rest of the audience and waving wildly to her. Ayame's lips slowly pulled up into a smile—then grin—before waving back just as excitedly. The nervous thump in her heart matched the audience's applause and slowly, she turned her attention to 2-A.

Many of her friends and classmates were shocked by the result; no one expected the second in their class to _lose_. But—Hotaru was waving happily over, cupping her hands by her mouth to scream. Ayame knew how difficult it may have been for Hotaru to gather that courage but—she was so deeply appreciative. Hotaru had believed in her since the beginning.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw the sparkling black hair of their class president. Ayame paused—then turned her head in his direction. It was difficult to read the distinctive expression on his stone face—and she didn't have time to study him longer when Takarada abruptly turned around, leaving the audience.

His turn was next.

"Sasaki-san, if you may," Ume smiled and gestured to the side, "The next match is starting soon."

"O-oh!"

Ayame hastily left the stage. Ume watched her leave from behind, amused by her student's sudden improvement. Putting her as an assistant to Aizawa may have been the right choice; Ayame was already showing signs of leaving her sister's shadow.

As Ayame walked away, she noticed in front of her—was Yuu's retreating figure. Ayame's eyes light up at that and chased after him; there was something she must know.

 _I lost_ , Yuu walked dazedly forward, _I…lost?_

"Yuu—!"

He paused, turning around briefly to see the brunette run up to him. Ayame stopped a few feet away, regaining her breath while Yuu looked at her with mild surprise.

"That was fun, Ayame-san," Yuu's gentle smile was back on, startling Ayame with his quick change in mood again. "Congratulations on winning."

She slowly straightened up, blinking at Yuu and…his perfect mask. Ayame—doesn't understand him at all. She—couldn't imagine what he was thinking anymore. Which side was the real Yuu—which side was the fake?

"You—confuse me," Ayame admitted softly, brushing back a lock of stray hair. "During that fight…I felt like I was speaking to another person. And yet…I think a part of me—still want to believe in you."

Yuu arched an eyebrow at that. Ayame was fidgeting nervously in front of him, eyes lowered to the ground with a small tint to her cheeks. It reminded Yuu of the other girls often confessing to him before—a typical response by the love struck teens he had expected. And yet, from Ayame—he knew she was not here to confess—and he found it…amusing.

"You never…answered me properly. Maybe you do have a sadistic streak in you. Maybe you really are…just toying with us… But…when you help us study—when you encourage our classmates—I think that may be the real you, too…! You're here—because of Takarada, right?" Ayame faced him again, staring at him with an unwavering gaze full of determination. "Then—that's heroic by its own terms!"

"You're naïve, Ayame," Yuu chuckled lowly, "Naïve, simple…" Ayame blushed again, _but…perceptive_. "You can believe what you want, I won't say anymore about me."

He moved to take a step closer, leaning down to her ear again and watched her tense up by their proximity.

"I will say, however," Yuu whispered, "That everything I've mentioned regarding Noeru…is true."

He straightened back to his full height, giving the stunned Ayame another smile and turned to walk away.

"Good luck in the finals against him, Ayame."

Yuu dropped the honorifics completely. That whole match with Ayame, her angry outbursts and her reckless behavior—had been _fun_. It has been awhile since Yuu was pushed back like that. It has been awhile since Yuu lost himself in the end—wanting to continue to fight longer against someone—wanting to push their limits until the end and see who will come out victorious.

 _Did you know, Ayame?_ Yuu smiled to himself, _you're the first one to bring that side out of me. But…against Noeru…will you do the same?_

A figure came to block his path. Noeru stood in front of him. His crystal eyes, glowing and glaring—were directed towards Yuu. The other boy looked surprised by Noeru's sudden visit and yet—it was expected.

 _He's mad_ , Yuu smiled to himself.

"What _happened_?" Noeru asked lowly.

"I lost," Yuu shrugged, "Maybe I shouldn't have teased Ayame that much."

Noeru scowled. 'Ayame'? What happened to the honorifics?

"A fluke," Noeru went to brush past him, "She won by a damn fluke."

"No," Yuu chuckled, vivid lilac eyes flashing by his mind, "She's strong."

Noeru snapped his head towards him. "You let her win, didn't you? Otherwise, how did that idiot even stand a chance against you?"

"I guess I just riled her up," Yuu laughed again, "It's funny. In the end, she wasn't fighting for herself anymore—she was fighting…because of _you_."

It wasn't the complete truth but—Noeru doesn't need to know that.

Crystal eyes glared at him even more, nearing hissing out, "What did you say?"

"Nothing much," Yuu grinned, happy to have stirred Noeru up as well. The final match was going to be interesting—he knew it would. "Good luck, Noeru. You'll need it."

Yuu returned back to his booth with a smile. He…wasn't as disappointed to have lost as people assumed he would be. Yes, it was surprising—but in the end, it was…enjoyable.

 _I think I may have found something of interest here…_

* * *

"I heard LullaCry is here!"

"What—where?!"

"In the second-year's arena!"

"Are you sure you're not confusing her for her younger sister?"

"I saw her in the third-years!"

"I'm serious! You think I won't recognize those pretty purple eyes?!"

She wrapped the white coat closer to her body, making sure the black tutu was not sticking out beneath the outer layer as Yume walked in the arena. Her hair was bundled up and hidden under a large straw hat and a pair of black sunglasses covered half her face. Quickly, Yume walked through the crowd.

Her phone vibrated with a phone call and she brought it out, looking down to see a familiar name flashing on the screen.

"Shouta-oji?" Yume answered.

" _Hey, I'm with your parents and Suzume_ ," Aizawa explained briefly, " _We're at the section by the west entrance_."

"Oh," Yume gasped in surprised, "The first-year's event is already complete?"

" _Yeah_ ," Aizawa mumbled something to Hiroshi on the side before turning back to the phone, " _That brat didn't even tell her family she made it to the tournament? Wait until she's done with her matches_."

Yume can hear the threatening tone from her uncle on the other line, laughing quietly to herself and hoping Ayame wouldn't get in _too_ much trouble. Aizawa often teases that girl the most; Ayame was simply an easy target.

"I'll be there soon," Yume said softly.

She hung up the phone call and made way to the west entrance. She was on the opposite side so it may take awhile for Yume to reach her family. Still, the path she walked along wasn't as busy as most people have sat down already. She was able to see the television screens and part of the stage from her position.

 _Grand finals…_

Yume looked at the bracket on the wide screen. The name 'Sasaki' and orange path were highlighted to show her reaching the top of the bracket. Yume felt like she was transferred back to her teenage years when she had participated and won her own tournament.

" _Onee-chan! We saw you on television! Congratulations on winning!"_

 _Ayame ran forward to crash into Yume with a hug, grinning the whole time while looking up at her._

" _Suzume and I were cheering the whole time! We recorded the show so otou-san can watch it later!" Ayame continued to bounce around excitedly, "You were like—an invincible hero! No one could fight back!"_

" _Onee-chan is so strong!" Suzume grinned as well, a rare sight on the usually withdrawn girl._

 _Yume smiled happily and hugged her sisters. She carried Suzume with one arm and rubbed Ayame's short hair with the other. The brunette barely reached her chin with her current height and Suzume had gotten heavier since she last carried the child. Her sisters grew up so fast._

" _Thank you, Aya, Suzu," Yume was so grateful for her sisters, "In the future—I will be the one to cheer you guys on, too!"_

* * *

Takarada instantly won his match.

His opponent was the same one who beat Usagi out of the tournament, a fellow 2-A member with the Quirk to shoot energy beam out of his hands. But, no matter how powerful his beams were, they were easily reflected off of Takarada's diamond wall. He didn't even break a sweat when he sent his opponent out the stage.

Ayame barely had time to rest. She didn't even return to 2-A's booth in the audience, only settling to sit in the waiting room for player one until she heard the announcement.

There were dozens of thoughts running through her mind in those short few minutes. The fight with Yuu had been a majority of it. She wondered if anyone knew of his…sadistic streak. No wonder those odd smirks and wide eyes had been playing in her mind; there was more to Yuu than his 'gentle' appearance.

Ayame sighed and got up, heading towards the arena. The hallway was empty and quiet; no one else was within except for her. Ayame turned the corner and bumped into someone, gasping loudly and hastily bowed her head.

"Sorry!"

"It's alright."

She looked up to see a tailored suit before her, one that was made of especially expensive fabric based on the fine details and linen, before a pair of crystal eyes looked down on her. Ayame whirled back in shock, accidentally saying—

"Taka—"

But no, that wasn't him. Takarada Noeru shouldn't be in the same hallway as her. He should also be wearing the standard U.A. gym uniform—not an expensive high class suit. Upon closer inspection, Ayame realized that although this man had the same shining crystal eyes and black hair, he was older.

 _Is this…his father?! It's like…looking at an older Takarada!_

"Young lady," Tatsuo's tone was light, almost _welcoming_ to greet Ayame—and that startled her even more. She had never heard Takarada be anything but curt or insulting—and now his dad was acknowledging her?! "You're Sasaki, correct?"

Ayame gaped and quickly nodding her head. "Y-yes!"

Tatsuo smiled, a few wrinkles appearing by the corner of his eyes and lips. Ayame tried her best to not stare but—it was simply impossible _not_ to. This man looked like Takarada—but was acting completely different from him!

"I wish you luck in the upcoming match," Tatsuo said smoothly, "I had expected Shimizu Yuu to win…but you had surprised me. If anyone was to beat Noeru, it would be you."

Ayame blinked slowly. Something felt off. Why was her opponent's father openly encouraging her?

"Thank…you?" Ayame accidentally ended in a question. She quickly brushed off her awkward thanks, wondering out loud, "But…why me?"

A miniscule of a smile appeared on Tatsuo's lips again. He looked down on Ayame and she couldn't shake the feeling away that he was literally…looking down on her. It felt like the same look Takarada gave her at times but this one—felt worse.

"Because Shimizu would never dare to win against Noeru."

Tatsuo knew his business partner's son wouldn't risk his friend's chance in becoming a hero. Last year's finale was truly pitiful. They think Tatsuo couldn't see right through them.

"I am truly pleased to see you win," he continued, "So if you may beat Noeru next, I can guarantee you will receive a fitting…reward."

 _What…the hell?_

Ayame was confused. What the hell was he talking about? Why was he—rooting against his own son? Sure, Ayame doesn't get along with Takarada but—why the hell would his father come up to her—and trying to bribe her?! And it's not even for losing, either! He wanted her to beat him up?!

Why?!

" _If Noeru cannot become the top of his class for three years in U.A., he cannot be a hero."_

" _I will say, however, that everything I've mentioned regarding Noeru…is true."_

Yuu's words, a whisper in her ear, had clouded her thoughts. Ayame had brushed it off then; she would not care about Takarada willingly. But this sudden confrontation and his unexpected secret was hitting her full force again. She was so confused—so shocked—and she wanted to not believe her speculations to be true.

"You're…Takarada's father…right?" Ayame asked slowly, softly.

"Yes," Tatsuo answered, he doesn't mind sparing a few more words to her.

"Then… What happens if Takarada loses?"

He barely arched an eyebrow at her question. Ayame looked at him straightforwardly, not daring to avert her gaze as she waited for him answer her. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest, her mind playing dozen of scenarios for Takarada's future. What about his own determination to win? What about Takarada's desires?

Takarada Noeru was the top of their class—of their year! He won the tournament last year, he became a student council committee member in few short months, and he was their class president. Sure he may be cold and antisocial but he was smart and dependable—strong and powerful to be a hero! Yuu had been adamant about helping him win—but why was his father—?!

"You don't need to mind that," Tatsuo said calmly, "He won't be of your concern any longer."

" _He cannot be a hero."_

" _If Noeru cannot become the top of his class."_

" _He cannot be a hero."_

"Ah, I'm meeting so much overbearing fathers today."

Tatsuo looked down on Ayame. What was this girl going on about? And what was with that disrespectful tone? Those angry lilac eyes were narrowed on his, criticizing him for his words.

"Takarada Noeru may be arrogant, cold, egotistic, and a downright jerk at times but—he is hero material! If he's working this hard—to stay in the top spot because of a stupid reason threatening him—then what are you doing as a _father?!_ "

Ayame stormed past him with clenched fists. What the hell was wrong with these people she's meeting today?! What was so wrong with being a hero?! What was so wrong with the _path_ to becoming a hero?!

"Whether I beat him or not—it's not up to you to decide! We're both going to fight with all of our might! We have our own reasons to be a hero—maybe you should watch your son for once!"

Ayame left with those parting words, not caring if Tatsuo had more to say or not. She was just—so done with arguing against so many people today. She was done listening to others preach on about their ideals without bothering to care about the person of interest!

" **Hello, everyone, welcome to the grand finals for the second-year's tournament! Are you surprised to hear I am here?! This is Present Mic commentating specifically for this match! And my co-host, the R-rated hero, Midnight!** "

Everyone screamed as Present Mic and Midnight made a guest appearance for the final. Even the students watching from the stands hadn't expected those two to run to the second-stage after the first year's tournament concluded. Ume had remained on the stage as a referee and Aizawa stayed with his sister and her family in the audience.

" **Now, now, who is this girl that appeared out of nowhere?! She hadn't passed even the first game in last year's sports festival—but she made an amazing comeback this year! Introducing, Sasaki Ayame!** " Present Mic announced.

"That's…quite an intro," Ochako laughed nervously.

"Still better than mine," Sero shook his head.

"Oh, there she is!" Kaminari pointed down. "Oi! Good luck, Ayame-senpai!"

"Wait," Kirishima blinked down below, "Why does she still look mad…?"

Ayame marched up the stage with a determined look on her face. Her long brown hair was still flying freely around, lilac eyes facing forward to her opponent.

" **And now, on the other side! He was last year's sports festival winner and is ranked two amongst the second-years as the ideal boyfriend! With a Quirk that can create countless gems and is the future heir to the Takarada Corporation, here is Takarada Noeru-kun!** "

" **Oi…Midnight… Half of those facts are useless to the event.** "

Noeru appeared next. His crystal eyes were narrowed straight ahead, still in disbelief that the last person he wanted to see—made it onto the finals. He could feel the anger burning underneath him as Ayame regarded him with the same heated look, both itching to begin.

"Same rules apply," Ume rose up one hand, her eyes glancing at the two students who often butted heads. She wondered how this match will turn out…

" **Sasaki Ayame versus Takarada Noeru!"**

" **Grand finals, start!"**

* * *

" _Oof!"_

 _Ayame fell on her butt, wincing in pain as Aizawa announced the winner of the spar. Usagi hopped up quickly to Ayame with an apologetic smile while the brunette pouted._

" _Ahh, Usagi-chan! Your legs sure pack a punch!" Ayame complimented regardless, allowing the bunny girl to help her up._

" _Well, I have been practicing all my life," Usagi smiled, "Your creatures are so cute though!"_

" _Yeah?" Ayame grinned, "I based them off my favorite games and shows!"_

 _Ayame began to explain the dozens of series she played through, a miniature version of the little animals would appear in her hand as she showed them to Usagi. They were barely the size of her hand; black smoky trails fluttering around to create the shape as Ayame animatedly talk about each one. Usagi laughed sheepishly but stayed to entertain Ayame._

" _And this!" The little creature in her hands turned into a cat with two tails, "Is my imouto's favorite! She likes all the other ones but this one—she never fails to smile with this!"_

" _They're cute…but aren't they a little weak, Sasaki?" Natsumi asked from the side, poking the little cat._

" _It's 'Ayame'!" She quickly corrected, "And uh—I-I haven't had the chance to use my Quirk before! They'll be stronger in the future!"_

 _Takarada scoffed from the side, finishing up his spar with Hotaru and watched her meekly bow and run away towards Ayame. Yuu walked up to him with his usual smile, noticing his friend's attention to be briefly on the girls before quirking an eyebrow in his direction. Since when did Noeru show interest in others?_

" _Her Quirk is weak," Takarada barely explained._

 _Nearly all of the summons Ayame used would disappear after one hit. She often relied on the ookami and used it to chase the opponents around but…from the sideline; it only looked like a puppy chasing a child around. Takarada had no idea how she managed to pass with her Quirk. She must have gotten lucky during the practical exam, too._

 _The giant tortoise appeared in his mind, causing Takarada to frown even more. He didn't need any protection before and surely not from her. Besides, her Quirk was too unstable. It can never guarantee what disappears or not._

" _She's not going to be a hero with the way she is now," Takarada scowled and walked away._

 _Yuu arched an eyebrow at him. Well…this was the first time his friend had such a strong opinion about someone…_

* * *

"I don't know how you got this far," Noeru began, shifting his feet on the ground, "But it ends here."

"You know the past few people said the same thing too," Ayame rolled her eyes.

"But they're not me."

Deep purple crystal spears spiked up beneath Ayame. She quickly jumped out of the way, black tendrils swirling around her to create a large kitsune. The fox had its usual nine tails but it was only two-thirds of Ayame's height, unlike the Amaterasu or the Kyuubi she had summoned before.

Noeru didn't give her time to recover. He slammed his hands on the ground, crystal shards making a beeline towards Ayame in the middle. The girl hopped on her fox and dodged, rushing over to his side.

" **Takarada starts it off with his dazzling gems! Sasaki is forced on the run—how will she counter his crushing Quirk?!** "

" **If you didn't know, Takarada-kun's gems are worth a fortune in today's market! You won't be able to see gems as strong-cut as his anywhere else!** " Midnight added.

"A fortune!" Ochako gasped at the shining stones he recklessly used to subdue Ayame.

"Why does it feel like Midnight-sensei isn't taking this seriously," Ojiro laughed nervously to himself.

"Ayame-senpai is being forced to run away," Midoriya said softly, "Takarada-senpai's Quirk is amazing…he's able to summon the gems with no time lag… Is she trying to close in on him? How about their close combats…"

"A-Ayame-chan! You can do it!" Hotaru yelled.

 _It's like a damn obstacle course_ , Ayame clicked her tongue, clutching the kitsune tightly as the fox hopped off one spear and onto another.

The crystal spears Noeru summoned was slowly taking over half of the stage. He was able to control the spears out of his reach by some degree, able to form them in a straight path but—he would not be able to reconstruct them without touching it.

"Annoying," he muttered.

A crystal blue javelin appeared from his arm and Noeru took aim. He focused on the jumping kitsune around and with a heavy thrust, he threw it forward. Ayame gasped when the javelin skewered her fox, causing it to disappear from the strength of the thrust and she fell off. Ayame rolled down the sharp edges, cursing lowly to herself at the piercing edges cutting into her uniform and skin.

" **Ouch! That looked like it hurt!** "

More spears erupted from the ground around her and Ayame ignored her pain, rushing to make her ookami and ran away again.

 _Serpent won't work against him, dragon is too bulky. I have to rely on the fast creatures—what about the tengu? No—it has no attack power_ , Ayame thought quickly to herself. _Kitsune can maybe defend against the spears but the tails are a big target. I'll rely on the ookami for now_.

The wolf weaved around the obstacle, dodging the spears and appearing right in front of Noeru. He glared at the ghostly mount and a crystal lance materialized from his arm. He swiped it at the wolf but Ayame was prepared this time, using its paws to block the lance and jumped off.

"Get out of my face," a second lance spiked up from the ground at his feet, aiming in Ayame's direction as soon as she landed.

Ayame dodged to the left. "What is your problem?! Why are you always against me?!"

For as long as she can remember, Takarada Noeru hated her. Ever since the entrance exam, since learning they were classmates—in any situation, he would ridicule her. Ayame had done her best to ignore him for the most part—but she can only take so much of his insults!

"My problem," Noeru shifted the lance in his hand to stab through the ookami. It disappeared again, smoky trails slowly drifting up, "Is you."

He punched her stomach, sending Ayame flying back and crashing into one of the many crystal spears on stage. She let out a loud cry, dropping to her knees and clutching her stomach. Noeru glared at her from above, slowly walking towards her with a lance in hand.

"You are weak, annoying, and cares not for being a hero. You have no idea how lucky you are with your privileges. The fact that you made it into U.A. is unbelievable," Noeru glowered, "Was it your _uncle_ who let you in? Was it your _sister_ who convinced the faculty? Did they also convince Soharu-sensei to give that teacher's assistant job to you?"

 _What the fuck?_

Ayame glared at him and rose to her feet. She moved her head as soon as the lance moved to stab her, sweating at the weapon piercing the crystal wall behind where her head once was. Ayame quickly called upon another kitsune and hid behind it.

"Is that what you think?! They had nothing to do with it!" Ayame argued back.

"I-is he—trying to kill her?" Kaminari asked nervously, gulping at the swings of attacks Noeru was aiming at Ayame.

"Senpai is being forced back," Kirishima said with worry.

"Her summons are too damn weak," Bakugo scowled.

Todoroki frowned, his eyes focused intensely on the two figures battling. Noeru was constantly on the offensive while Ayame was forced to dodge or block. At most, the kitsune was able to withstand two powerful blows before it would disappear, causing her to call another creature again.

"The more she summons, the worse her headaches will get," Yume whispered to herself _, That boy—he's not giving her a chance to fight back… Ayame…don't give up!_

"You've only relied on luck," Noeru ignored her shouts, putting one hand on the crystal spears formed from the ground, "You are irritating, Sasaki. You're a damn child who's only here to play around."

The crystal he touched evolved. The crystal widened into a small wall and a barrage of gemstone bullets shot forward. Ayame cursed and allowed the kitsune to take a majority of blunt attacks, both running forward to Noeru's direction.

"Why does everyone say that…" Ayame whispered to herself in displeasure, Yuu had said it before, too. "I'm here to be a hero, damn it!"

She reached him quickly and pulled her fist back to a punch. It'll be satisfying if she's able to land a hit on his stone face. Who was he to assume all of that?!

But, Noeru caught her fist, looking down at her with uninterested crystal eyes. Her eyes widened in shock, wincing from the pressure he put on her fist.

"Who was the one who kept going on about the new game she played? Who was the one that goofed off during last year's training camp? Who was the one with a hero for a teacher in her class—who have a strong hero for a sister willing to come to U.A. to help her train? Who was the one LullaCry pitied last year in the sports festival and allowed her sister to work in her agency for interns?"

Each word was a stab in Ayame's heart. She looked down, shaking in anger by the sheer accuracy of his damn accusations.

"You're a joke, Sasaki _Ayame_ ," Noeru hissed, "That's why no one in class ever took you seriously."

With that, Noeru kicked her away, sending Ayame to fly back with another shout. So far, she had been the only one to take the beating—the only one frustrated throughout this whole fight. Of course, Noeru was right to some degree but—she's trying to change!

Ayame got up again, her body throbbing from the constant attacks. Her head felt like a damn mess with the words rattling around, giving her a headache and messing with her concentration. But she ignored it; she ignored all of the pain just to focus on his lashing tongue.

"I know," Ayame admitted, "I know—all of that…! That's why—I'm trying to change now! I know my problems seem minor to you but—I _will_ change! I will get stronger so others will take me seriously! I won't take advantage of my privileges anymore—but you're also wrong in that!"

Ayame ran forward again. Noeru shifted his foot and two spears jumped out from the ground to stab her. She immediately summoned a tengu, flying up to avoid the crystals. Ayame dived down, using the tengu as a distraction to jump on Noeru.

"They've never treated me special because I'm family! I passed the entrance exam by my own strength! Shouta-oji never acknowledged our relationship in school!" She crashed into Noeru and he raised one hand to her collar to hold her back. "Yume-nee may have trained me but it was only recently that she did! Onee-chan didn't give me any special treatment in my interns! So who are you to judge?! Are you taking your anger out on me because of your father?!"

Noeru paused and Ayame froze, both pair of eyes widening at her accidental shout in anger. She had no intention on mentioning the last part—she was just rebuking in anger and—hadn't meant to let him know—she _knew_!

" _It's funny. In the end, she wasn't fighting for herself anymore—she was fighting…because of you."_

"What the hell did Yuu say?" Noeru glared at her, "What do you _know_?"

Ayame gaped as Noeru pushed her off of him. Now it was his turn to straddle her, crystal eyes shining in anger. He trapped her wrists together while the other hand formed a ruby dagger.

" **What's this—?! These two have such chemistry with each other?!** " Present Mic yelled.

"I'm not sure if 'chemistry' describes them…" Sero laughed uncertainly.

"They're—literally at each other's throats!" Jirou commented.

"They're arguing," Shoji spoke up, bringing his classmates attention to him. Todoroki slid one eye in his direction before quickly focusing back to the two below. "Senpai… They're both angry at each other."

"What are they saying?!" Ashido gasped.

"I can't say for certain," Shoji's mouth said, "But Takarada-senpai…really hates Sasaki-senpai."

In 2-A's booth, all of them were looking down keenly. Yuu lost his usual smile, icy blue eyes peering at the two rivals. None of them had an inkling of an idea for their conversation; all they could see was them shouting angrily at each other. It was the first time they had seen Noeru so— _riled_ _up_. Even Ayame was holding her ground but—just barely.

"Ayame-chan…" Hotaru whispered.

"He's not trying to kill her—is he?!" Nao gaped.

"Sasaki-san! Are you able to continue?" Ume asked from the side, vibrant plum eyes staring at the two with a barely concealed worry. She had heard every word exchanged between these two. Takarada's anger was rooted deeper than she can imagine.

"Yuu barely said anything!" Ayame replied back, both students ignoring their teacher, "But I—guessed just as much…!"

"Then you know _nothing_ about me," Noeru scowled at her.

 _I should stop this_ , Ume thought to herself, _before he seriously hurts her._

"Sasaki-san is unab—"

"I can still fight!"

Black tendrils wrapped around Noeru's body, a long serpent form beginning to take shape over his torso. The hold he had on her wrist disappeared as Noeru was forced to tug the serpent off of him, eyes flashing dangerously at Ayame. The two separated from each other, Ayame jumping back a few feet away while massaging her wrist.

"I know nothing about you—because you never _said_ anything about yourself!" Ayame shouted back, "I get it if you hate me but—what about everyone else?! You never attempted to share your burden—we're your damn _classmates_!"

Noeru ripped the serpent off, glaring heatedly at Ayame. Another crystal trail shot out in her direction, forcing her to dodge to the side but—she realized something. The gems aren't as large-scale as before—just like Todoroki's ice against Midoriya. Was he reaching his limit?

"And that's all you are!" Noeru retaliated, "I'm here to be a hero! I'm here to be the best! How can you ever possibly understand what I have to deal with?!"

A pair of mismatch grey and turquoise eyes flashed before her eyes. Ayame startled back at the memory before quickly brushing that from mind; her opponent was Noeru right now. She clenched her fists, running forward again.

"Then _tell us_!"

Another ookami appeared to pounce on Noeru. He sidestepped away from it, dodging to the right and turned back to Ayame—just to see her inches from him. Her right arm had the same serpent coiled around it like her match against Yuu, enhancing her punch as she aimed it towards his stomach. A thin layer of crystal appeared as armor to his front but—Ayame broke through it.

Her serpent disappeared and Noeru's armor shattered. Ayame cursed mentally, her knuckles red with blood but she continued with her onslaught of attack. Noeru quickly covered to block, glaring down at the brunette.

"Make us understand so we can _help_! It sucks that you have your own problems to go through but—you're not the only one trying to be a hero! You're not alone in this! Maybe you're the real idiot—you— _baka Taka!_ "

Ayame punched his face, sending him flying back with a hiss.

"I don't need your pity," Noeru growled.

"It's not fucking pity," Ayame glared back.

"Then what is it?" Noeru taunted, "Are you going to lose on purpose, too? Are you going to let me win—or will you forfeit? If I can't win, then I can't be a hero."

Ayame froze.

Wait, that was right. What if—Takarada really leaves U.A.? What if—his father won't let him continue?

What if the situation was reversed?

If Ayame was in his situation—if she couldn't be a hero—what was she going to do?

"I knew it," Noeru scoffed, "I'm fighting to stay at the top. You're fighting your hated opponent. It's as simple as that."

Noeru readied a stance, exhaling, and a crystal spear shot up from beneath his feet. Ayame was frozen still, her eyes wide on him as she whispered,

"I don't hate you."

The spear stopped short of her face. Ayame blinked at the purple crystal, relaxing when it did not pierce her body, and walked around it. Noeru looked bewildered as she faced him again.

"You're an arrogant, egotistical jerk, and definitely an asshole but—I don't hate you. I don't think…Yuu would try so hard for someone not worth fighting for," Ayame said quietly.

"You're unbelievable," Noeru scowled, his eyes narrowing more on her as he tried to contain the nervous itch within his stomach. Damn Sasaki, why was she trying hard? "Then fight me seriously. My own circumstances are not your concern."

She flinched from his tone, hesitating more now that Ayame wasn't fighting by anger. What if he really does lose? What if he can't be a hero?! What if—

"Aren't you trying to change?!"

Noeru grew frustrated with her, after all that she said—she was just going to ignore it? He doesn't need any pity—he doesn't want to win like this! Yuu had already done enough—but the one before him wasn't Yuu.

This was Sasaki Ayame, the girl he had always hated. She—who was the opposite of him—received everything he wanted. How dare she only talk and yet—not show any action for it?! What was the point of their argument if she's just going to revert back to her old self?!

"Prove it!"

His arm crystallized into gems. Noeru ran forward, arm pulled back for a punch. Ayame snapped out of her thoughts and blocked, the serpent wrapping around her arm like gloves. She didn't have time to think when Noeru continued to attack her over and over again, forcing her to defend against his onslaught.

For a split second, Ayame saw an opening and took it. She slammed her hand forward but at the last second, missed her target. Ayame stumbled and Noeru grabbed her hand with a glare.

"Stop holding back," he whispered in her ears, "You'll never change at this rate. You're going to stay in LullaCry's shadow. Your Quirk will never improve. You won't be a hero."

Her eyes widen, anger slowly taking over at his relentless taunting. Ayame pulled her arm back, the smoky tendrils rushing from her body in waves. The serpent around her arm joined the mass of black trails, intertwining with each other in a cyclone around Ayame.

Noeru's eyes sharpened, bringing one hand up to shield his eyes from the wind she was producing. Unbeknownst to him, a smirk had spread over his face as he felt the power surge from Ayame. His hands clenched together, crystals forming beneath his feet while plates of crystal armor wrapped around his body.

 _That's more like it_ , Noeru thought, _you were hiding this much power? Damned Sasaki_ , Noeru smirked, _show me a good fight so I can beat you fairly._

"You're weak," Noeru continued, "Helpless against the League of Villains and worthless with your Quirk. How can you compare to your sister—to All Might—like _this_?"

Ayame glared, "Shut up!"

"Then _make_ me."

A huge formation of crystal structures shot out of the ground behind Noeru. He lifted one hand and touched the wall next to him, rearranging the gems' structure to be sharper and stronger within.

 _I'll end it with this move_ , Noeru narrowed his eyes on the smoky trails, _before she can finish conjuring something._

" _I'll become a strong hero just like All Might!"_

" _I'll be big and strong, smiling with saving others and telling them—'I am here'!"_

The smoke finally took form over Ayame's figure. Her head was pounding in pain, eyes wide yet unseeing as the memories flooded in. She barely noticed Noeru manifest the giant crystal block and suddenly—it rushed her way.

"Senpai!" Class 1-A shouted as Noeru began his final assault.

 _That looks like my attack_ , Todoroki glared at the waves of gems. His eyes returned back to the brunette in the cyclone, _don't lose…_

"Fight!" Hotaru cheered.

 _Ayame!_ Yume cried in her mind, eyes widening at the giant gem block—rushing towards her.

" _I'll be stronger than you one day, Yume-nee! Stronger than Shouta-oji—and stronger than All Might!"_

The black tendrils took shape. A large body appeared, swallowing the girl within the cyclone and continuing to drift upwards. A pair of muscular arms took shape along with a head, two strands of hair sticking straight up.

Ayame pulled her arm back and the smoky shadow's arm followed the movement, her lilac eyes were finally focused back on the upcoming attack.

"N-no way…" Ochako gaped.

"Th-that—looks like—!" Midoriya couldn't finish.

"All Might— _Smash_!"

The fist slammed forward, shattering the pointed peeks of the gems and cracks were spreading over to the source behind. A large shockwave of wind and gems blew around wildly. Noeru shifted his leg behind him; a wall of crystal appeared to block the shockwave as he felt his body pushed further in. The crystal crack beneath his weight, his eyes widening more in shock and—he was blown backwards.

Smoke, gem rubbles, and wind clouded the arena as the sound of an explosion echoed the stage. The giant All Might disappeared, leaving Ayame gasping for breath as she collapsed on her knees. The smoke in front of her finally cleared, everyone's attention was focused on the other opponent.

Noeru was lying down on his back, broken shards of crystals fallen everywhere. He stared at the bright blue sky and closed his eyes, bringing one arm up to cover his face. He already knew the result of the match.

"T-Takarada-san…is out of bounds," Ume announced. This time, she wasn't able to hide her shock. "Sasaki…Ayame-san—is the winner!"

The crowd roared in applause. Class 1-A were screaming their lungs off as they looked at Ayame. Her friends in Class 2-A were cheering as well but—a majority had been stunned silent by her powers.

Meanwhile, Ayame…wasn't paying attention to any of that.

Her head throbbed in pain and she felt no strength in her arms and legs but—she forced herself to stand. Ayame's lips were slightly parted as she stared wide eyed on the collapsed Noeru. She barely—realized what had happened.

She ran, stumbling once in the beginning but Ayame continued on. Noeru had not even moved since the announcement and her heart continued to pound in her chest as to why he's not moving. Ayame panted and fell on her knees next to him, wide lilac eyes looking down at his battered form. She probably looked just as bad, if Ayame took the time to look down, but she couldn't think about herself now.

Her hand reached out to him slowly, her mouth opened to say his name—

"I hated you, Sasaki Ayame."

—and froze. Her left hand hovered over his shoulder but she slowly set it back to her side, eyes focused on his lips moving.

"I hated who you were related to, hated your naïve attitude. You didn't deserve to be a hero as the way you are. Whereas I have to prove my worth and negotiated with my father, you bounced in happily without knowing anyone's circumstances and barging into everyone's business."

Ayame looked down, waiting for him to continue. He wasn't wrong per say…but it also felt like Noeru sounded…defeated. This was far different from the usual cold, impassive class president she knew. This boy…felt vulnerable and…sad.

Noeru lifted his arm, crystal eyes looking up to see her right by his side. She was looking at the ground with a sullen face and it only made Noeru frown even more. He sat up and leaned down, their foreheads mere inches apart.

"I don't know if it's your naivety or stupidity for you to help your enemy in the middle of a match," Noeru smiled sarcastically, her angry outbursts running through his mind as she retorted all of his statements, "But, I guess, I don't hate that about you."

He put a hand to her head, tapping her down slightly as his fingers gently touched the tan tresses.

"I'm only saying this once," Noeru whispered, "Thanks, for not holding back. You beat me this one time—but it would never happen again," _there might not be any opportunity to_. "Now wipe that look off your face. It's unfitting for a winner."

Noeru stood up, cooling brushing the dirt off his shoulders and began to walk away. Ayame's head shot up, unshed tears brim the corner of her eyes before she hastily wiped it away.

" _I hated you, Sasaki Ayame."_

 _That was past tense._

" _But, I guess, I don't hate that about you."_

"Takarada!"

Noeru paused in his steps, glancing behind him with one crystal eye. Ayame stood up boldly, lilac eyes wavering with those leftover tears and he felt something itch in him again.

"You'll be a hero! One way or another—you will!"

A slow smirk appeared on his lips. Noeru tilted his head and Ayame caught onto the quirk of his lips, heart beating from the rush of adrenaline and surprise.

"Idiot," he turned back around, "Of course I will."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Yes, I still love Takarada Noeru and will keep his name as Noeru in the story now. I was honestly debating whether to have Ayame win or not but—it is more impactful if she did. Noeru needed to grow and let go of his hatred and Ayame…also needed to grow up from her childish self.

Although Ayame had shown bursts of power, she's more of a 'glass cannon'. Very powerful—but also very fragile would best describe her. So far her main summons are serpent (enhancement/guard), dragon (power), ookami (speed), tengu (aerial), and kitsune (defense).

It will still take awhile for Noeru to redeem himself but I hope you'll able to see his appeal too! Sorry there's not a lot of Todoroki but I promise, next chapter, is another favorite of mine! Yuu and Noeru will not have chapters centered around them like this anymore; they will only receive a few screen time.

Reviews are very much loved! I noticed a spike in viewers too—but I can't tell if it's just me refreshing the page oops

 **P.S.** It has been one year since I posted this story! Besides the fact I took like a 6-month hiatus from it, this is still an anniversary ahaha


	14. Butterflies

Sorry for the repost! I will try to post on Sundays/Mondays instead. This would not happen again!

.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

People often say Yume had the stronger Quirk between the two sisters.

Yume was not oblivious to the whispers behind her back—but she also never experienced it as often as Ayame. Yume thought their opinions were ridiculous; they shouldn't judge without witnessing Ayame's power first.

But no one had saw Ayame's Quirk manifest like Yume did. That scene had burned deep into Yume's mind. The older sister doesn't know if Ayame remembers but, Yume definitely does.

* * *

 _Ten year old Yume had to watch over six year old Ayame when their parents left the house to go to the hospital. Shiko had been in pain all day, causing Hiroshi to constantly worry over his wife. They trusted their eldest child to watch over the house and her sister; Yume was more responsible than kids twice her age._

 _And so, they left. It was late afternoon; the summer warmed their house and causing Ayame to feel sleepy. Somehow, young Yume had gotten the idea in her mind to watch a movie. It would have been easier for the time to fly by and Ayame did not mind the soft background noise as she slept on the couch. Yume flipped the television to a random channel and watched the time go by._

 _It may have been a mistake on her part to not carefully review the movie before leaving it on. Yume had been intrigued by the movie and the fast paced scenes, violet eyes wide on the thriller on the screen. There were monsters and gore on the television, something her parents had deeply forbid her to watch before, but no one was home to turn the TV off for her._

 _Yume was so absorbed in watching the horror that she hadn't realized Ayame stirred awake partway. The child had kept silent when she woken up, wide lilac eyes also watching the screen and—let out a small shriek when an especially gory scene played._

 _That was enough for Yume to snap back to reality. She quickly turned off the television and hugged Ayame, promising the girl it was not real and—to not tell their parents about the movie. It took a bit of coaxing and reassurance from the ten year old to convince her sister everything was alright and after another hour, when their parents returned, Ayame returned back to normal._

 _Yume brushed it off then and both sisters were excited for the news of having a baby sibling soon._

 _That night, Yume woke up to Ayame climbing into her bed. The younger girl admitted to being scared of the dark, teary lilac eyes peering at her sister to let her in. Yume felt the guilt twist in her heart again and allowed Ayame under the covers, held her sister close as they both fell asleep._

 _It would have been fine, if it ended there._

 _But it didn't._

 _Ayame was twisting nervously in her sleep, eyebrows furrowed together as dark shadows and sharp teeth were chasing her in her dreams. Neither children realized that a shadowy figure began to take form, dark trails intertwining together to create a giant monster. Ayame stirred awake, wide eyes snapping open to see—the monster from her dreams standing right by the bed._

 _She screamed._

 _Yume woke up immediately and saw the giant monster. She quickly scooped up Ayame and ran—not realizing that the smoky trails had lingered around her. Yume screamed for her parents and Ayame cried in her arms as Yume ran away._

 _The monster chased after Yume, crashing through the door of the room and into the wall, leaving a deep dent on the white wall. Shiko immediately ran to them, her eyes glowed red to put the monster to sleep but—it had no effect on the creature. She was stunned; not even animals could escape her Quirk._

 _Hiroshi turned on the lights and called for his children, eyes lingering on the black smoke surrounding Ayame. It was the same smoke from the monster. He called for his wife and she turned towards her youngest daughter, eyes widening at the realization settling in._

 _Shiko grabbed Ayame, forced her eyes to focus on her, and activated her Quirk. Ayame slumped down unconscious and Shiko held her close, watching the smoky creature disappearing from their sights. Yume realized—that power had come from Ayame._

 _I knew, since the beginning,_ Yume watched Ayame walk up to the first place podium, _Ayame is strong…in the future…she will be stronger than me…_

.

" _No!" Ayame screamed, "I don't want to use my Quirk!"_

 _Shiko and Yume smiled helplessly at the child. It had been the day after Ayame's power manifested. After she had woken up from Shiko's Quirk, their family had tried to explain to the young child that it was her power—but they had no idea how it came to play._

" _It-it's scary!" Ayame cried, "Why don't I have okaa-san's power instead?!"_

 _Hiroshi's eyes softened for his child and scooped her up, allowing Ayame to cry into his shoulder while he motioned for the girls to rest. He will take it from here._

" _But, Aya," her father comforted softly, "Your powers look just like mine."_

 _Ayame hiccupped and rubbed her teary eyes on his shoulder, mumbling in a small voice, "No, they don't."_

" _Hmm…true… I think there's more to yours than mine," Hiroshi hummed and walked over to a painting._

 _It was a picture he had painted himself, a family of nekomatas dancing on the portrait. He adjusted his hold on Ayame with one hand and the other hand reached out to the painting. Ayame peeked from his shoulder to watch. She had seen her father's abilities hundreds of times already; it was what he would do to entertain and ease the children._

 _A little cat jumped from the painting and landed on Hiroshi's hand. Ayame startled; she remembered the monster from last night had almost the same inky patterns. But, Hiroshi's creatures were more inky and white while Ayame's summons were smoky and opaque._

" _But, since you are my daughter, then your powers goes beyond the monster from last night. You can also make cute little cats like your otou-san," Hiroshi said gently._

 _The nekomata danced to Hiroshi's tune, hopping up his arm and landed on his other shoulder. Ayame flinched and buried her head into her father again but one, wide lilac eye was peering at the cat._

" _Do you want to try, Aya?" Hiroshi coaxed._

 _Ayame froze and shook her head. It was still too soon._

.

 _Yume returned home in a timely manner, violet eyes looking around the empty house but found no signs of her parents. She set her backpack aside on the living room couch and looked outside, seeing a little figure sitting down on the wooden porch. Yume went out quietly and took a seat next to the huddled Ayame. It has been a week already._

" _I'm sorry, Aya, it was my fault," Yume apologized softly. If she hadn't watched that movie—if she had changed the channel sooner… Ayame wouldn't be in this state._

 _Ayame shook her head lightly._

" _I'm scared, onee-chan," Ayame mumbled, "W-what if I make that monster again?"_

 _Yume's eyes softened. She leaned closer to Ayame, patting the light brown hair of hers and looked to their garden. Around their flower patch was an assortment of butterflies fluttering around._

" _Aya," Yume began, "You don't know the full extent of your Quirk yet. Why don't we test it out?"_

" _No!" Ayame immediately shook her head._

" _But, Ayame," Yume was serious, "I promise nothing bad will happen. As your older sister, I will protect you—remember?"_

 _The young girl looked at her sister with teary eyes. That was right. Before, Yume had been the one to carry Ayame out of the room when the giant monster appeared._

" _B-but…I-I don't know how," Ayame admitted._

" _Then, let's try with this," Yume reached out a hand. Like magic, a butterfly landed on her dainty finger. Ayame's eyes widen in shock while Yume turned at her with a smile. "Aren't they pretty, Aya? But it's a little lonely…why don't you make a friend for it?_

 _Ayame stared at the butterfly with large eyes. She took in the bright orange and yellow patterns of the insect, black edges framing the wings and Ayame formed an image in her head. She reached one hand out to the butterfly as black smoke emitted from her fingers. The butterfly flew away yet behind it was an exact replica chasing after it._

 _Both children watched with wide eyes as the two butterflies danced with each other. One was lively and bright, orange wings dancing in the light while the second was ghostly yet—beautiful._

* * *

 _You had grown up so much since then, Aya_ , Yume thought silently, a small smile appeared on her lips as she focused on the brunette below.

 _You deserved the win._

 _She deserves to be recognized._

"Hey—are you serious—that girl—won?!"

"That Takarada boy's Quirk was really strong!"

"How did she beat last year's winner?!"

"Did anyone hear what they said? It looked so weird with how they stopped fighting at times."

"That's—LullaCry's sister right? They're a spitting image of each other!"

"I still like LullaCry more."

"LullaCry's Quirk is better!"

Yume clenched her fist and her right hand reached up to her sunglasses. How dare they talk about the winner—about her sister like that?!

"Ayame-senpai is not LullaCry!"

Everyone startled at the sudden shout, eyes drifting down to where Class 1-A were seated. A majority of the students were glaring upwards at the irresponsible adults who just spoken, Midoriya clenching the railing tightly after his outburst.

"Weren't you just watching?!" Kirishima shouted.

"Ayame-senpai beat his Crystal Quirk!" Kaminari added.

"She's strong! She's really strong!" The girls yelled back.

Yume lowered her hand, violet eyes widening behind the dark sunglasses at the class below. Were these the 1-A kids Ayame kept talking about? It wasn't just Ayame praising the first-years—but they were equally protecting her too.

On stage, Ume presented the third place medals to Yuu and his classmate, both accepting the award politely. She gave a few words of congratulations, lips pulling up into a smile before heading towards Noeru.

Noeru had a blank look on his face, his uniform still torn and ripped from the recent fight. Ume smiled lightly and gave the 2nd place medal to the stiff boy.

"You were great, Takarada-san," Ume comforted, "If you need a teacher to speak with your father, I am willing to assist you."

"No, thank you, sensei," he refused impassively, "It's best if I handled him."

"Then, allow me to say this, too," Ume said softly, "No matter what, you are a hero already. Despite what you or anyone else thinks, you're strong and compassionate, too. Good work, Takarada-san."

Noeru blinked at his teacher and Ume moved on to Ayame next. The brunette was still looking dazed out of her mind, staring at the gold medal before her with wide eyes. She couldn't believe this was real—had she really—won the tournament?!

" _Sasaki-san," Ume called out to her._

 _Ayame blinked, long strands of brunette hair moved as she turned her head to her teacher. It was the first day back to school as second-years; Ayame didn't get in trouble already, did she?!_

" _Yes, sensei?" Ayame tilted her head._

" _I know this is sudden but U.A. started a new program recently. I had recommended you to be a teacher's assistant for Aizawa-sensei in Class 1-A," Ume smiled._

 _Ayame gaped, sweating at the sudden spur of information and nervously laughed. "N-no way, right? I'm sorry, but can you choose someone else?"_

" _I'm afraid not," Ume smiled; Ayame never had a choice in the beginning._

" _W-what would I be even doing?! And why me—?"_

" _It would just be reviewing the course with the first years and being an assistant to Aizawa-sensei."_

" _Am I failing?!" Ayame gasped, her uncle didn't mention anything like this! "I-is this another way of telling me—I'm being held back a year?!"_

 _Ume resisted the urge to laugh. Was it…really so surprising to her?_

" _Rest assured, you're not. It would be like a year-long intern experience," Ume attempted to console._

 _She knew of the girl's dilemma. Ayame wasn't trying as hard as she should. She was being held back by the comparison between her and Yume. Ume had to admit, Yume was a wonderful student in U.A. but…Ayame could do just as well if she tried. She hoped this extra experience will help Ayame be more confident in herself._

 _Ayame sighed in defeat. "Okay, when do I start?"_

"Sasaki Ayame," Ume said with a wide grin, "It looks like you have finally found your way. I'm proud of you."

"I-is it—really okay—for me to win?" Ayame asked nervously, her fingers fidgeting with each other as she glanced at Noeru, "A-are you sure—I won?"

"Don't be an idiot," Noeru scowled from her right, "Embrace the pain from your body and accept it."

Ayame startled at her bloody knuckles, whimpering in pain from all the cuts and bruises all over her body. Yuu chuckled softly to her left while Noeru expected her reaction from the right. Ayame lowered her head as Ume put the medal around her neck, one hand clutching the gold medal over her thumping heart.

"That concludes the second-year's Sports Festival! The winner is Sasaki Ayame with an outstanding comeback! This proves that anyone and everyone can improve. Do not be discouraged if you did not make it up here! Your goal is to keep improving yourself!" Ume turned to the rest of the second-years to announce.

Ayame stared dazedly at the medal around her neck as the festivities ended. Her friends had come up to congratulate her and she pulled Hotaru into a hug, thanking her friend for reminding her the importance of the tournament.

Her kouhais from 1-A were waving down and Ayame looked up, grinning to see them cheer for her and waved back. She saw Todoroki was still with them; his eyes were still focused on her. Ayame's grin softened into a smile and she brought one fist up.

 _Did you see?_

Todoroki let out a small exhale from his nose. It was miniscule and barely noticeable—but a small smile had emerged on his lips as he stared at the brunette. He also raised one fist in return, watching her face light up in excitement.

 _I saw._

Off in the distance, the shining hair of Takarada caught Ayame's attention. She looked up in the VIP booths, her fist lowering in contemplation. Noeru was walking away with Yuu, not bothering to watch his father leave and Ayame quickly looked between them.

"Hotaru-chan," the short girl looked at her friend, seeing a serious expression on her face as Ayame subtly pointed up in the stands. "I'm sorry to ask this again but—can you teleport me there?"

Hotaru followed her fingers and nodded her head. Ayame grabbed her hand and Hotaru activated her Quirk, both disappearing in a neon light.

They reappeared within the crowd and Ayame thanked Hotaru hastily before chasing the patriarch's back. Hotaru looked confused yet Ayame did not explain, brunette hair flying behind her while the passing civilians were gasping in shock.

"Takarada-ojisan!"

Tatsuo paused, eyebrows creasing at being called 'uncle' and turned around to see the winner. Ayame was gasping for breath again and straightened her back, looking at him with the same unwavering gaze.

"You said—I would get a prize if I win."

How shameless; she's asking for a reward now? Wasn't she the one to hastily refuse it? Who was the one that rebuked him earlier—calling him an 'overbearing father'?

"I suppose," he returned back to his blank face; he's not interested in being pleasant with her anymore.

"Then—! Keep Takarada Noeru in U.A.!" Ayame shouted, pausing to clarify her demands, "For his remaining years in U.A.! Until he becomes a hero! That's what I want!"

Tatsuo was stunned, watching the brunette sigh in relief to have said her peace and made to turn around.

"You have to keep the promise, oji-san!"

Ayame left with Hotaru. The short girl was even—more stunned by Ayame's outburst yet Ayame was completely fine. A bright grin was on her face when Hotaru teleported them away.

Behind, Takarada Tatsuo stared at the spot Ayame disappeared from. He lifted one hand up to his temple, rubbing the place in a circular motion yet—there was no headache. Instead, he laughed loudly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What a troublesome girl."

* * *

"Well, well, well, _Ayame_."

Ayame shivered, feeling an ominous presence behind her back as soon as she reappeared with Hotaru. She shakily turned around; gulping at the sight of her mummified uncle and—could practically feel the glare Aizawa gave her. However, her lilac eyes widen in shock by the people he was with.

Hiroshi was holding Shiko with one hand while Shiko was holding a cane with her other hand, a dark pair of sunglasses over her eyes yet a smile was on her lips. Suzume fidgeted nervously around before she broke away from Yume's hand, running towards Ayame's direction and jumping into her arms.

"Aya-neechan!"

Ayame gaped as Yume took off her straw hat and sunglasses, violet eyes smiling her way. In fact, all of her family members were smiling—or grinning at her. Even Aizawa, although was looking at her sharply, had a smile on his face.

"Y-you're all—?!" Ayame didn't know what to say.

Shiko walked forward, leaving Hiroshi's grasp as she arrived in front of her daughter. Through her blurred vision of Ayame, Shiko can still feel her shock as she pulled her and Suzume into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Ayame," Shiko whispered, "Whether you had won or not—I'm so proud."

"You should tell us next time," Hiroshi arrived next, patting Ayame's messy hair with a smile, "We'll make time for any event you invite us to."

"You were amazing, Aya," Yume smiled and pinched her cheek. Ayame was as tall as her now; since when did her sister grow so much? "You'll be a strong hero in the future."

Ayame choked back her emotions and grinned, nodding her head proudly as she displayed the medal around her neck. Suzume continued to hug Ayame and she turned to her mummified uncle expectantly.

"I guess you did alright," Aizawa managed to say.

"I'm super strong, right?!" Ayame grinned.

"Super strong!" Suzume repeated, "Yume-neechan and Aya-neechan are super strong!"

Ayame giggled and turned to nuzzle Suzume. A low chuckle can be heard behind the family and Ayame looked up, lilac eyes watching Yuu and Noeru walk by them.

"Congratulations again, _Aya-neechan_ ," Yuu teased lightly with his pleasant smile. Ayame resisted the flush from her face, gaping at Yuu for the nickname. Wha—why?! "You've raised a good daughter."

"My, aren't you charming," Shiko laughed.

"Excuse us," Noeru said politely, nodding once towards the family and both of them walked off.

Ayame stared at their backs with a bewildered expression. What was the point in showing up in the first place?! Was it just for Yuu to tease her?!

"Wow… I can understand why they're nicknamed the 'two princes'," Yume hummed.

" _Onee_ - _chan_!" Ayame shouted in disbelief, how did they even hear that?!

"They sound cute too," Shiko giggled.

" _Shiko_ ," Hiroshi turned to his wife.

"Oh, don't be jealous," Shiko patted Hiroshi's arm, "You're still the only man I have eyes for."

They arched an eyebrow at Shiko's choice of words but she merely laughed it off. Hiroshi turned to Ayame next, a very serious expression in his violet eyes as he glanced at the two boy's back.

"You should focus on your studies. Don't think about dating."

Ayame gaped again.

"Otou-san! What?! I'm not even interested in them!" Ayame rebutted.

"They were getting a little _too_ touchy with you," Hiroshi continued to frown.

Ayame blushed again, her cheeks reddening in a mix of embarrassment and shame. Why—no way! That was only during the match! All three of them were very serious in competing!

"D-do we…even have time to congratulate senpai too…"

Her ears perked up, turning around to see a 1-A behind them. They looked a bit intimidated by her family yet—a lot of them still smiled and showed up to see her. Ayame handed Suzume off to Yume, smiling at both her sisters before running off to her kouhais.

"You guys made it!"

"Mhmm!" Ochako grinned, "You were great, senpai!"

"Your giant summons are so manly!" Kirishima complimented.

"C-congratulations, Ayame-senpai!" Midoriya shouted.

She grinned at the compliments, puffing her chest proudly to display the medal and laughed. From the brief glance, Ayame did not see Todoroki or Bakugo around—which was fine. She had caught a glimpse of Bakugo when she looked in 1-A's booth before. And Todoroki…

 _Well, he saw, too. I'm happy with that._

* * *

U.A. High School was off for the next two days. There needed time for students to recuperate and for the school to clean up the festivities. The students were more than excited for the time off and some even began to train again, eager to prepare themselves for next year.

Takarada Noeru arrived to the Shimizu estate with a duffel bag. Their staff let him in without a word, already used to seeing the Takarada heir enter and leave their household.

"Yuu-sama is in his backyard. Would you like us to retrieve him, Noeru-sama?"

"No, I'll go myself," Noeru handed his bag off to the kimono wearing servant, brushing past them coolly, "Prepare a room for me in Yuu's wing."

The servant took the bag, curiously looking at the heir yet Noeru said nothing more. He went to where Yuu was informed to be at, walking on the wooden floors and glancing at the passing bonsai garden. As he reached Yuu's part of the estate, Noeru saw Yuu practicing his Quirk with the lake in the back.

 _That's funny_ , Noeru thought, _he never trains._

"Are you just going to stand there and watch?" Yuu turned to greet him.

"No, I'll sit and watch," Noeru proceeded to sit casually. "I'm staying here for awhile."

Yuu blinked, stopping his training to walk towards him. "Did your father kick you out?"

Noeru scowled and turned away. "No, I haven't seen him since the tournament. I only went back to get my items." He looked at the colorful flowers decorated at the corner of the backyard, little butterflies dancing around it on the side. "It's better this way."

"Ah, so you're running away from home," Yuu concluded.

Noeru sent him a glare yet Yuu cared not for it. He took a seat next to the boy and waved for a servant to bring them tea. After, the servant left, leaving the two to sit in silence. Yuu gently took the cup with his hand and sipped it in his usual elegant self.

"She was going to let me win."

Yuu set down his cup carefully, glancing at Noeru through the corner of his eyes. The other boy was still focusing on the little butterfly as it fluttered around the flowers.

"I didn't want that to happen again," Noeru continued, "But I wasn't expecting to _lose_ either."

The corner of Yuu's lips quirked up, turning his attention to his garden too.

"I guess she fooled us both," Yuu chuckled. "I can see why you like her."

"I don't _like_ her," Noeru glared at him again.

"But you don't hate her either."

Noeru stayed quiet.

During the fight, Noeru had lashed out at Ayame. It had been so long since he wanted to reprimand her, prove that he was better and she was undeserving. When Yuu had said she was fighting because of Noeru, he thought she just wanted to beat him and kick him out of the school.

But…he was wrong.

" _I don't hate you."_

"What did you and…Sasaki talked about, exactly," Noeru was truly curious, crystal eyes glancing at his friend from the side.

Yuu blinked and tried to hide the amused laugh bubbling in his throat. His icy eyes turned soft as he stared off to the side, recalling her shouts and determination.

"I guess I played the villain in her mind," Yuu said lightly, "So she, the hero, will beat the villain from trampling on her—and your—dreams."

Yuu tilted his head to glance at Noeru, a smirk on his lips at Noeru's surprised expression. He remembered Ayame chasing him after their fight, wide lilac eyes looking at him with the same unwavering gaze. Yuu kept their talk to himself; that was a memory he did not want to share with Noeru.

" _I think a part of me—still want to believe in you."_

"To be honest, I'm quite disappointed with myself," Yuu sighed, turning his gaze towards the sky above. "Third place…maybe I should aim for first."

Noeru snapped out of his thoughts. It was unbecoming of him to think about her so much. "If you can't even beat Sasaki then you shouldn't hope for first," Noeru smirked.

"Oh?" Yuu smiled, "And who was the one to lose against her, too?"

"It was one time," Noeru frowned, "Won't happen again."

Yuu chuckled again and stood up with a stretch.

"We're going to be heroes, right? Then we need to do better than this," Yuu said, it was time he took his training seriously, too.

Noeru smirked. _Looks like he finally found something worth challenging._

"I'm not responsible for any damages to property," Noeru stood up as well.

"Don't worry, I won't ask a homeless for reimbursement," Yuu teased.

Yuu moved his head right as a dagger flew past him. His icy eyes sharpened, a smirk playing on his lips as water from the lake floated up.

It was time to train.

Somewhere in Yuu's room, Noeru's phone beeped with a text message.

 _When you're ready to come home, let's talk._

* * *

Ayame was absolutely exhausted the next day.

Recovery Girl had healed most of her injuries but—the fatigue from the whole tournament worn her out. There were also many emotional outbursts and egotistical jerks she had to deal with but—after everything that had happened, Ayame just felt dead.

She managed to sleep in for a bit, relieved that the school was closed for two days, before waking up around noon. When she did wake up, however, Shiko was fumbling more than usual around the house. It startled Ayame so bad she had ran up to her mother in worry, looking at Suzume with a slight frown.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier? We need to take okaa-san to the hospital," Ayame scolded lightly.

"I told her to let you sleep," Shiko clutched her head and patted Suzume's head, "This is nothing."

"Okaa-san has been like this the whole day," Suzume whispered to Ayame, large violet eyes wide at her sister, "I-I didn't mean to hide it…!"

Ayame's eyes softened and picked Suzume up, patting her head softly in apology. "Sorry, Suzu. I guess I'm still tired. Okaa-san, just wait a bit. Let me change and we'll go to the hospital."

"That's not necessary, Ayame, you need to rest—"

"You strained your eyes because of the tournament yesterday, right?" Ayame cut her off. Shiko does not often go outside because of the light affecting her eyes. She was grateful her mother had even managed to show up for the tournament. But now… "I'm already healed up! We can go. Yume-nee and otou-san are back at work, right?"

Suzume nodded her head and Shiko sighed. Why are all of her daughters so stubborn?

With that, Ayame quickly returned to her room and changed into a casual pink blouse and black shorts. It was already mid-spring; the weather was perfect as it is. Ayame glanced in the mirror and saw her loose brunette hair, contemplating her usual braids before quickly shaking her head. Still, she got a black ribbon and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail.

After, Ayame took her bag containing her keys and wallet before returning to the living room. She helped Suzume put her scruffy black hair into pigtails and brought Shiko her cane, all three of them heading out.

They called a taxi from a main street and Ayame helped Shiko in, giving the driver the instructions to their usual hospital before they headed off. The taxi driver kept sneaking glances at Ayame, the mini television in his car was playing the U.A. Sports Festival from yesterday. She blushed and looked out the window, awkwardly hoping the car ride will go faster.

When they arrived to the hospital, Ayame helped Shiko and Suzume out. She pulled out her wallet to pay her tab and the driver finally turned to her with a smile.

"You're the girl from the second-year's tournament, right? Congratulations! You were strong!"

Ayame froze, cheeks reddening with a blush before hastily thanking the man. Even after he drove off, Ayame was still dazed. This was the first time…someone had complimented her without comparing her to Yume. She was—recognized for her strength.

"Nee-chan?" Suzume tilted her head.

"Oh—yeah! Let's go!"

Her mood improved greatly, ignoring her sore muscles as she led Shiko and Suzume into the hospital. They had often visited here because her mother needed regular checkups on her eyes. And, since Shiko was exposed to many different lights yesterday, it may have added unnecessary strain to her eyes. Suzume could not be left alone in the house by herself and although she does not go out often, she behaved well for a ten year old.

Ayame helped them sign in the hospital, telling the nurse of the usual doctor before receiving the visitors pass. She helped put one on her mother then kneeled down to her sister, taping the sticker over her dress. Ayame stood back up and pressed the tag on her shirt, looking up to see—heterochromia eyes of grey and turquoise looking at her.

"To-to—Todoroki-kun?" Ayame sputtered out in disbelief. How long had he been watching her?!

"Senpai…" Todoroki blinked. One glance was enough for him to know Ayame's mother was blind…and she was the caretaker for her little sister.

"Oh? Is it your friend, Ayame?" Shiko asked curiously.

"Uh," Ayame wasn't sure how to reply. Was 'friend' the right word? She wasn't sure if—Todoroki considered her as one… "H-he's a student from Shouta-ojisan's class. W-what are you doing here?"

Todoroki relaxed back to his nonchalant manner, mismatch eyes holding Ayame's gaze. Was it her or—did he seem different today? Sure, Ayame hadn't technically…talked to him since her last outburst yesterday—and he _had_ come to watch her tournament but—what was going on? Why did she feel so—nervous in front of him?

"I'm…" Todoroki paused, letting out a small sigh before turning back to her with straightforward eyes. "Here to visit my mother."

Ayame calmed down, lilac eyes taking in his honest answer with a slight surprise. _His…mother?_

"I won't disturb you any longer," Todoroki bowed his head slightly and made his way towards them, "But…if…when you're free, senpai, may I…talk to you?"

Ayame looked at him in surprised again. What was going on? Todoroki—was approaching her— _first_? A-and what did he want to talk about?!

"She's free now!"

The two daughters turned to Shiko immediately, one curious and the other astonished.

"O-okaa-san, your appointment—"

"Hush, dear," Shiko smiled and tapped her shoulder reassuringly, "Suzume and I can get to the office just fine, isn't that right, honey?"

Suzume looked at them with big violet eyes, tilting her head curiously to the side. Her mother usually calls her that when Shiko wanted her to agree. With a bright smile, Suzume nodded her head. Well, Suzume was able to get the gist of the conversation. That pretty boy wanted to talk to her sister!

"Ah, no, I can wait…" Even Todoroki tried to interject.

"Nonsense," Shiko smiled again, _Todoroki… Why does that name sound familiar?_

This was the first time Shiko met any (boy) friends of Ayame! The boys from her class yesterday didn't stay long enough to chat but—with this sudden appearance of another boy, Shiko may just have hope for her daughters. None of them ever brings any boys home!

"C'mon, Suzume, say 'bye' to Aya and her little boyfriend for now," Shiko instructed.

Ayame's cheeks immediately redden while Suzume held Shiko's hand. She smiled brightly at her sister and friend.

"Bye-bye, Aya-neechan, and boyfriend!"

They left quickly, leaving Ayame to blush from embarrassment at her family. Todoroki looked mildly surprised before glancing at his upperclassman. Ayame was glaring in their directions with red cheeks and a slight pout.

 _Cute…_

"W-well," Ayame sighed, she never stuttered this much before! "Should we…go somewhere?"

"Ah," Todoroki agreed and began to lead the way.

Ayame quietly followed one step behind. He was wearing casual clothes today; a navy blue button up over a white shirt and black pants with a bag strapped on his back. His hair was easily distinguishable and yet—the first thing Ayame noticed of him was his eyes. A deep shade of grey and a bright shade of turquoise…

Ayame had been sneaking glances at Todoroki yet he only looked straight ahead. She was silently curious about what he wanted to talk about. He didn't stay behind after the tournament while the other students did to congratulate her… But Ayame knew he was there to watch.

Todoroki had been the one to pull her out of her thoughts during her fight against Yuu. It was his eyes that—helped her win.

They arrived on the hospital rooftop quietly. Todoroki sat on an empty bench, mismatched eyes glancing over to her as an invitation.

"I believe…you deserve an explanation…and apology from me," he explained.

"I—you—don't have to," Ayame refused quietly, looking everywhere but him. There was something about his temperament now that unnerved her. It wasn't scaring her or anything but—it gave a weird flutter in her stomach and her cheeks to heat up.

"I want to, senpai," Todoroki offered again.

After all, her mother had given him this chance. Although there had been many thoughts running through his mind since the tournament, this had been especially one of them. Talking to Ayame again was what he wanted.

Ayame calmed down and, seeing the serious look in his eyes…allowed her to sit by his side.

Todoroki looked down on his hands resting over his lap, contemplating on where to begin. He wasn't expecting to see Ayame so soon and—in the hospital no less. But, he did find it ironic. This would be the second time he had run into her unexpectedly…and saw a different side of her again.

Todoroki can see how well she takes care of people. Her mother…her little sister; Ayame was naturally looking out for them. Despite her being rowdy and childish at times, when it came to the important things, Ayame knew what to do. Was that why she took her upperclassman role so seriously?

"During my match with Midoriya…he made me realize something," Todoroki started carefully.

It was just the two of them on the rooftop yet he dared not to speak above a whisper. The voice felt loud enough as it was and Ayame leaned in slightly, taking it all in.

"And afterwards…he told me, it was you who encouraged him."

Ayame froze, heat rushing from her neck to cheek again by the sudden exposure. Crap—how much did Midoriya say? How much does Todoroki know?!

 _I-I need to stop being so impulsive_ , Ayame sweated mentally.

Seeing the silent panic from Ayame caused Todoroki to smile just the slightest. It was a smile she did not see from her mental dilemma and even Todoroki hadn't realized he was doing it.

"He didn't tell me the exact conversation, both with you or…my old man but, I guessed enough."

Ayame paused again, turning to Todoroki with wide eyes. Wait—what did he mean—his old man—Endeavor?! Did Midoriya hear that too?! What?!

 _And—Endeavor?!_

Ayame suddenly remembered her outburst against the Number Two Pro Hero, sweating again at her reckless mouth and actions. Crap, crap, _crap_! She—hadn't meant to make herself an enemy with his dad! Maybe Endeavor would be lenient and—completely forget about her? Yes, please, let that be true.

 _Ah, I can read her completely,_ Todoroki glanced at Ayame with a small quirk of his lips, already knowing that she must have been mentally panicking over the whole thing. He really wanted to know exactly what she said to his old man now. But—Todoroki wasn't desperate enough to speak with his father about that.

"You see… I have three older siblings…but it wasn't out of love. My old man…he arranged a Quirk marriage with my mother in order to create the perfect kid with both Quirks inherited," Todoroki clenched his fists, "And he did."

 _Wait…what?_

Ayame stared at him motionlessly.

" _He was created_ _for the sole purpose of inheriting both Quirks…. He will be stronger than All Might….."_

Her fists clenched together.

Was…Endeavor serious?

Who—what—kind of person—would do that?!

"I've been trained since young because of it," Todoroki continued emotionlessly. He hadn't gone in full detail with Midoriya and yet with his upperclassman…he felt the need to go in depth. It's been so tiring dealing with this himself. It's been so long since he was able to find someone to talk with. "Day after day…since age five…he relentlessly 'trained' me to be strong so one day, I will surpass All Might."

His mismatched eyes focused on the sky above, watching the clouds drift by slowly. How odd, Todoroki doesn't feel as frustrated recalling this again. Maybe a part of him had been suppressing it for so long that he's just—tired.

"In my memories, my mother is always crying. She had been the one there to support me…but I suppose even she had her limit," Todoroki said softly, " _'Your left side is unsightly,'_ my mother said as she poured boiling water on me."

… _what?_

Todoroki brought his hand to cover his scar, eyes closing in remembrance of those many years ago. Even now, he sometimes could feel the phantom pain it left behind on him, reminding him of his hatred for his father and the pain he caused his mother.

"' _I can't raise him anymore… I feel like I shouldn't…'_ And then, she was sent away."

Todoroki opened his eyes again yet he could not face Ayame. He wasn't sure what face he was making—or what face _she_ was making. Ayame had been quiet for so long that—he wondered if she was still listening… But judging by the slight movement coming from her, he supposed she still was.

"Ever since that day, I thought my presence would put pressure on my mom, so I never went to see her. I'm sure she continues to be bound by me…by my old man…" He clenched his left hand, "That's why, in order to aim to become a hero again with this body, with everything I have…" He sighed, "In order to become my ideal hero… I need to see her and talk to her… There's so much we need to talk about…"

He paused, letting his head hang low. This was what he had been thinking about since the tournament. This was what he must do. The reason he couldn't use the left side during the last match—Todoroki Shoto couldn't be the only one to escape from Endeavor's torment. His mother had been there—suffering with him every step of the way.

"Even if she doesn't want it, I will rescue her from here. That is my starting line. That is how I feel…"

And finally, Todoroki turned to Ayame.

Ayame had her head hung down the whole time, shoulders slightly trembling no matter how hard she tried to contain the movement by clenching her fists. Todoroki was—startled by her response, heterochromia eyes following the slight trail of water falling down her cheeks.

Ayame…was crying.

" _You wouldn't understand what it's like to be related to a Pro Hero like him."_

 _He's right._

" _You bounced in happily without knowing anyone's circumstances and barging into everyone's business."_

 _Takarada's right, too._

Everyone had their own complications to go through. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a loving family like her. Ayame had been inconsiderately pushing her thoughts onto others, not realizing what kind of circumstances they were going through. Her angry shouts at Todoroki—it was her own selfish frustrations.

"I'm…so…sorry," Ayame clenched her hands tighter, "I'm so sorry—Todoroki-kun. I—yesterday, I had spoken without thinking—without considering your feelings. You were right to be mad at me—I really—didn't know anything—and I am so, so sorry."

With a father like Endeavor—it's a wonder how Todoroki managed to survive so far. Being treated as a tool and not a person—being born for the sole purpose of fulfilling Endeavor's wish—how selfish was that? And Ayame had said she understood him?

Who was she kidding?

Since the beginning, she didn't understand anyone at all. Not Noeru, not Yuu, and definitely not Todoroki.

And now, Todoroki had been the one to tell her about his secrets. He had come to her first, to explain for his cold behavior—when he wasn't obliged to. All because she had thrown a little tantrum; trying to prove something to him when their problems were on the opposite end of the spectrum.

 _Today—he's visiting his mother today…_

That burn scar…caused by his own mother… Ayame couldn't even begin to imagine the torment he must have felt. Based on how he spoke about her, Todoroki really…love his mother. The reason he relied only on ice, the reason he cannot—does _not_ want to use his flames… It all makes sense now.

 _If only I had known earlier… If only—_

But there was nothing she could have done.

"Why are you crying?" Todoroki let out a small exhale, the corner of his lips pulling up again. Maybe Bakugo was right; their senpai really was a crybaby.

He reached out to her hands, gently prying her fingers open from the tight fists. There was barely any resistance from Ayame as she watched through teary eyes at their joined hands. Tiny, crescent shaped marks were dug deep into her palm, causing Todoroki to feel…a slight flutter in his chest to see it.

"I never told anyone," Todoroki said, "It was my own problem to deal with."

"And yet I still said some stupid things," Ayame tried to laugh yet it came out like a choked sob, "Takarada was right. I am too meddlesome."

Her hands moved to clench again yet Todoroki stopped it with his hands, one warm and the other cold prevented her hands from closing. His eyes were looking straight into teary lilac ones, his lips pulled down into his usual frown at the mention of her classmate.

"That may be so," he began quietly, "But, I like that part about you, Ayame-senpai."

Ayame was too shocked to even blush. Her eyes were wide on his, mentally and physically freezing from his piercing eyes and soft confession. There was just—too much going on to even realized the severity of his words. He called her by her first name—he said he liked her meddlesome self.

But, the moment did not last for long.

A sudden ringtone broke the silence between the two. Ayame hastily took her hands back to reach for her phone, the slight warmth and chill still lingering on her hands. She brought the phone to her ear without checking the caller ID and answered, slightly turning away from Todoroki. He took his hands back reservedly, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"H-hello?"

" _Aya?_ " Yume's voice echoed from the other line, pausing as she asked, " _Are you crying?_ "

What the hell?! Her sister was just too perceptive! Yume always knew whenever something was wrong with Ayame. Even when she had cried hours after—Yume would be asking her the same question!

"No!" Ayame quickly refused—yet couldn't come up with an excuse. "What is it?"

" _Oh, okay_ ," Yume didn't sound like she believed her. " _I'm just calling to let you know I'm taking okaa-san and Suzume home. So you can go enjoy your little date~_ "

"It's not—" Ayame stopped herself, hoping Todoroki had not heard any of her embarrassing family conversation and sighed. She brushed back her bangs and sneaked a glance at Todoroki. He looked calm as always. "Okay. I'll go home later."

" _Bye-bye, onee-chan!_ " Suzume echoed from the other line.

Ayame smiled. "Bye-bye, Suzu."

"Your family cares a lot about you."

Ayame startled, turning towards Todoroki with wide eyes. Wait—how much did he hear?!

"Uh, yeah, I guess they do," she rubbed her neck awkwardly.

Thinking back…Todoroki did say he had three older siblings…but because of Endeavor…she doubted he had interacted with his own siblings as much. Her eyes softened on his form, thinking about the burden he had gone through and wiped away the tear marks. There was something she could still do!

"I know—it must have been difficult to tell me all of that but—I want to say, thank you, for sharing it with me. I hope—you would still be able to accept us—even if it's a little."

Ayame's heart beat rapidly against her chest and she could feel the wind blowing on her heated cheeks but—she won't do things half-heartedly anymore.

"I'll be here from now on, okay? I'm your senpai! You can believe in me!" It was Ayame's turn to grasp his hand then, the hand she wanted to hold since the tournament with his lonesome self.

Ayame looked at him with a determined gaze and Todoroki couldn't help but feel surprised. Despite everything, she was still trying to be cheery and reassuring to him. Todoroki can see how high she valued him and—he felt a bit…touched.

Sometimes, he wondered why she's so driven for them. Since the attack at USJ and then the tournament, Ayame had always been there to support them. In the beginning, Todoroki had waved it off as her duty as an upperclassman but—it's so much more than that.

Ayame had been kind since the very beginning. Whether it was to strangers on the train, or to her kouhai merely one year younger than her, she always tried her best. The only time she doesn't—was when people compared her to her perfect sister. There was a part he saw where she just...looked defeated...and tired. She can do her best for others but—not herself.

That was why she was so angry with him. Todoroki had ignored her feelings, too. He hadn't cared, whether he knew or not, he just...didn't care. He was so caught up in his own world that he accidentally triggered Ayame into rebuking him.

There was still some truth in her outburst from yesterday. Ayame had managed to prove her worth to everyone, to him. Todoroki had heard the whispers amongst the audience, had seen the way people immediate sought for similarities as soon as her hair had come undone. And even after she had won—they still wouldn't stop?

He had heard of the rumors regarding LullaCry. He had seen her on television before with her fearsome Quirk. But…how can they still compare the two when there were distinct differences between them?

Ayame's hairs and eyes were a shade lighter than LullaCry's. Her eyes were wider and—lively whereas her sister's were softer and deeper in color. Ayame brought sunshine and warmth with her smiles while Yume's had a gentle, calm demeanor.

Not only counting their Quirk, how can people say they're _similar_?

His mismatched eyes focus on the black ribbon holding up her ponytail, narrowing slightly at the way Ayame still felt insecure about herself. She would never admit to these things out loud unless she was pushed in a corner like yesterday but… Todoroki can easily understand Ayame, surprisingly.

"Do _you_ believe in yourself?" Todoroki couldn't help but ask that question back.

His free hand reached out to her hair. Ayame froze as he pulled the ribbon free, long strands of brown hair fell down to her back.

"You're not LullaCry," his eyes returned to surprised lilac ones, "You don't need to worry about that anymore."

This time, a light blush did spread over her cheeks. Ayame released his hand and rubbed the back of her hair, averting her eyes to the city below. Really—how unfair. It only took a few words from him to break her insecurities.

"Then—can I assume—I did, somehow—manage to get through to you?" Ayame asked hopefully.

Todoroki blinked, a slow smile emerging as he wondered whether to tease her or not. It was just…too easy.

"Maybe," he stood up from the bench, glancing behind to see her agape expression and smiled to himself. "Let's get some food."

 _Wait_ , Ayame froze, _is that…an invitation?_

She quickly hopped next to him, leaning forward slightly to stare at his usual blank face. There wasn't the usual glare in his eyes anymore—no more cold intimidation from him. She felt as if Todoroki already answered her question with the way he was now.

"What about your mother?" Ayame asked.

"I told her I'm coming back tomorrow," Todoroki reassured, one turquoise eye glancing at her, "Besides, there's someone else that needs taken care of."

She flushed and brought her hands up to cover her reddened eyes, nearly stumbling if not for the warm hand steadying her arm. Ayame regained her balance and Todoroki let go, both awkwardly taking one step back.

"That's what I should be saying!" Ayame recovered quickly.

Todoroki said nothing more, a small twitch on his lips as if refuting her statement. Ayame huffed again and crossed her arms, both walking side by side this time.

Yet, as they continued to walk together, the distance between them closed again, their hands a mere inch apart.

"You know," Ayame started randomly, hopping ahead and turning towards him with a bright smile. Long strands of light brown hair blew in the wind, painting a perfect scene of her sunny disposition. "Navy looks good on you."

She turned back around to the front so he wouldn't see her tinted cheeks for the nth time, an odd flutter in her stomach by her bold comment. Todoroki stared at her back thoughtfully, glancing down to his shirt then to Ayame again. He straightened up and walked one step faster, catching up to her in no time.

"Ne, what do you want to eat?" Ayame asked offhandedly, brushing her previous comment away.

"Soba," Todoroki thought for a second, going back to his usual mood, "Co—"

"Cold?"

The two said at the same time, causing Ayame to laugh and nod her head.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Ohgosh, thank you so much for the overwhelming support from the last chapter! I am so happy and relieved to see Yuu and Noeru so well-received by you all! Now, we will go back to the daily scheduled AyaShoto where the romance will slowly become more apparently to these two clueless teens!

Reviews are much loved! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews—to the ones always showing excitement to every chapter and the well-thought out one, I love them all so much! It was definitely a motivator for me to continue writing!

Follow **PrivateCardy** (Instagram) for Ayame and Shoto art!


	15. Hero Names

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Ayame's remaining break flew by in a blur. It was barely enough time for her to heal from the sore muscle and fatigue, yawning as she brushed her hair in front of the mirror. She paused, lilac eyes looking in her reflection at the long brunette hair, then to the two hair ties on the counter.

" _You're not LullaCry. You don't need to worry about that anymore."_

Ayame faltered, sighing from the memory and turned her head to the window. It was dark and cloudy outside, rain falling down in a heavy manner.

It was funny how Todoroki managed to assure her in the end when Ayame had wanted to do the same for him. He remembered her angry outburst and acknowledged her, came up to her personally to apologize and explain—then comforting her in the end about her deep insecurity she never wanted to admit out loud.

She smiled lightly, eyes closing to remember heterochromia ones of grey and turquoise looking back at her. His eager expression to eat soba, his surprised gaze when Ayame paid for them both. Todoroki may have been cold in the beginning but—even she was able to see him slowly changing after the Sports Festival.

 _He's still a good kid._

"Ayame? What are you doing?" Yume walked into her room, looking at the brunette dozing off.

She snapped out of her thoughts to turn to her sister in surprise. "Yume-nee? You're still here?"

"Yeah," Yume walked over to Ayame, glancing at the two hair ties on the counter before smiling at her sister. "Do you need help with your hair?"

"Oh," Ayame also glanced at her hair ties, smiling sheepishly as her eyes landed on the loose brunette hair on Yume. "I'm…not sure? It's kind of a hassle putting it up every day."

Truthfully, Ayame did dislike styling her hair. It takes forever trying to braid and loop the hair behind her! She was never especially good at dressing up too but she only chose that hairstyle because it reminded her of a certain protagonist from a shounen series. But…Todoroki's words echoed in her mind, reminding her to let go of her insecurity.

"May I?" Yume smiled and walked behind the sitting Ayame, brushing the long strands with her fingers as she wrapped the hair ties around her wrist. Ayame blushed; it has been a while since Yume did her hair for her.

Yume carefully brushed out the little knots from her hair, gently taking a few strands from the side and began braiding it. She had seen Ayame's hairstyle before, mimicking the way the younger girl would braid but—paused for the briefest second.

Why _did_ she change her hair in the first place?

Ayame was never the one to care much about her appearance. At most, she would brush the hair and leave it loose before heading out. It had only been a month ago she began to put it up, giving her an illusion of short hair.

" _That's—LullaCry's sister right? They're a spitting image of each other!"_

Yume eyed the long strands of light brown hair, oblivious to the curious eyes of Ayame looking at her through the mirror. Yume shook those thoughts from mind and finished tying the braid on Ayame, smiling at the confused look at Ayame's face.

"I think you look cuter like this," Yume set her hands over her shoulder, looking at their reflection on the mirror. Ayame's hair had two long braids on each side of her head while the rest of her hair was remained loose. "Like a little princess."

"Onee-chan!" Ayame whined in embarrassment.

Yume giggled. "C'mon, I made breakfast. You're going to be late at this rate."

The eldest sister left the room, leaving Ayame to stare at her image again. But she didn't have time to admire it when she saw the time on her phone, rushing to get her school bag and ran out of her room.

"Ah, I'm going now!" Ayame ran by Suzume, pausing to give her little sister a kiss on her head and stopped by the kitchen. She grabbed a piece of toast and waved to Yume, running to put her shoes on.

"Be careful, Aya," Shiko called from the couch, "It's raining pretty heavily."

"I know," Ayame shoved the toast in her mouth and took a small umbrella, " _Ittekimasu_!"

" _Itterasshai_ ," three voices echoed back.

Yume smiled helplessly as she watched Ayame run out the door, long strands of brown hair flying behind her.

 _Sometimes, I wonder if you hate me, Ayame. You would never say it, I know, because you're just as kind as you are courageous. Keep fighting on, Aya. I'll always support you as a sister and hero._

"Yume-neechan?" Suzume walked up to her sister with wide violet eyes, "C-can you help me with this book?"

Yume turned to her youngest sister, smiling as she picked Suzume up while holding onto the literary book.

"Sure thing, Suzu. You've gotten so smart, haven't you? This book is much more harder than the ones I've read when I was your age!"

Suzume blushed and giggled, smiling at her eldest sister in joy.

* * *

"You're Sasaki Ayame?! Congratulations!"

"You were so strong!"

"How did you make that giant All Might?!"

"Can you create anything else?"

"Keep doing your best!"

"Would you work with LullaCry in the future?"

"You're cute, too!"

Ayame flushed from all the compliments. It was needless to say the train ride to school was…overwhelming. She hadn't realized how much attention she received—as a winner and as Yume's sister. But…the comments relating to her sister was less now… It was—exhilarating as she listened and replied modestly to them, smiling as she exited the train cart to run towards U.A.

 _I'm being recognized as myself…_ Ayame smiled to herself.

A sudden gust of wind blew by her, causing the rain to fly into her eyes and the umbrella to snap. Ayame gasped when the ribs on the umbrella broke. Rain and wind hit her face and body without the protection and she groaned at her luck.

"Crap," Ayame tried to fix the umbrella but it would not stay open, groaning even more as she held an arm over her eyes and ran.

A car pulled up by Ayame, the sleek metal and tinted window prevented her from view of the passenger. Ayame glanced at it as the window pulled down to reveal Yuu and his gentle smile in the car.

"Ayame," Yuu greeted.

She startled, jogging along side of the car while Yuu looked amused in her direction.

"Need a ride?"

"O-oh!" Ayame stopped running and the car stopped with her, "R-really?"

"Of course," Yuu's smile widened just the slightest.

The door unlocked and Yuu pulled it open, scooting inside a bit for Ayame. She paused right at the entrance, looking down on her wet clothes and hesitated.

"Don't worry," Yuu chuckled. With a wave of his hand, a small water shield appeared above her head. The remaining water from Ayame's clothes was drifted upwards, leaving the little entrance a dry spot as Yuu used his Quirk for her.

"You're a lifesaver, Yuu," Ayame sighed in relief and got in, closing the door behind to smile at him and— "T-Takarada?!"

Noeru was sitting on the other side of Yuu, his bored crystal eyes glanced in her direction. Ayame hadn't realized he was in the car too.

"You—?!" Ayame was surprised; does this mean he can attend U.A. regularly?! Did his father—allow it?!

"Close your mouth, Sasaki, you look like a fish," Takarada commented dryly.

She flushed from the comment yet was not angry, leaning closer to him with Yuu in the middle. Her lilac eyes were wide and surprised but also—happy. It made Noeru feel odd and he turned his eyes away from her.

" _Noeru," Tatsuo greeted his son calmly._

 _Noeru stood before his father with a blank gaze, waiting for the inevitable resignation form he will have to sign. Noeru only spent one night in the Shimizu estate before returning home; he knew he cannot avoid his father forever._

 _In Tatsuo's hands was the contract they signed nearly two years ago. Noeru gave a slow look at it as his father flipped through the pages unhurriedly._ _ **That old man**_ _, Noeru sighed within his mind,_ _ **is he taunting me?**_

" _This year's Sports Festival…was an unexpected result," Tatsuo began. Noeru stayed quiet, why as he dragging this on? "I had the intention of contacting U.A. yesterday but work kept me occupied when I took the day off."_

 _Tatsuo glanced at Noeru yet saw no other reaction from him. It was like looking at a mirror at his younger self. The same self his own father tried to control, repeating the words 'you are a Takarada, you are meant for greater things'._

 _Funny, Tatsuo never wanted to become like his father and…look where he was now._

" _You have an interesting classmate," Tatsuo continued since Noeru did not bother to speak. "Maybe U.A. isn't as…worthless as I believed it to be."_

 _Noeru froze, watching with stunned crystal eyes as his father tore off the first page of the contract and—threw the rest of the papers in the fireplace. He watched the other papers burn up within, turning to Tatsuo with a bewildered expression as his father walked up to him. The page he held contained only a few words._

' _ **Takarada Noeru: Hero Contract'**_

 _Takarada Tatsuo's signature was on the bottom. There were no other condition, no other pages to add on. Only—Takarada Noeru's signature was left empty and, Tatsuo handed a pen to his son._

" _You should bring Sasaki back for dinner one day as a congratulatory and thank you meal. She's the reason you can stay."_

"Sasaki," Noeru turned to Ayame again and she glanced at him curiously, "What did you do to my father?"

Ayame gaped. "I didn't do anything?!"

Noeru hummed, unamused, while Yuu looked between them, amused.

"You must have," Noeru didn't relent; there was no way his father would actually…act like a real _father_ without a reason.

"I-I—" Ayame stuttered; she was _not_ going to tell Noeru anything regarding her and his father! "Look—we're here!"

Ayame bolted out the car door, yelling a quick 'thanks' to the driver before running into the school. Noeru looked after her with a slight frown; she was definitely hiding something. Meanwhile, Yuu was laughing softly again between the two.

Ayame sighed as she changed from her outdoor shoes to indoor, frowning at the water dripping from her hair again. Suddenly, the water moved on its own, separating itself from Ayame and she looked behind her to see Yuu with his handy Quirk.

"You're a little too impulsive, Aya- _neechan_ ," Yuu's princely smile returned yet Ayame shivered, why does it sound like he's teasing her?! "But, I suppose that's what makes you cute."

She purposely ignored the comment, looking at the two with a bemused expression again.

"Y-you don't need to call me that, Yuu—" Ayame quickly corrected herself, "—kun."

Yuu tilted his head. "You can call me casually like before. I don't mind if it's from you. And besides, you are older than me. It's only fitting if I called you correctly."

Ayame wanted to shiver from Yuu's 'princely' smile. She can totally see him teasing her now! What the heck?! So this was what it's like seeing both sides of Yuu?!

 _This is so weird!_

"Yuu, stop messing around," Noeru finished changing his shoes and began to walk off.

Yuu chuckled and followed him yet—they both paused, turning to her expectantly when Ayame was still frozen by the entrance.

"Aren't you coming?" Noeru tilted his head towards her.

 _Is that an invitation?_ Ayame looked at him in surprise again.

They looked as if they were expecting an answer and—without stopping anymore, Ayame caught up to them. Yuu allowed her to stay in the middle and Noeru looked straight on as the three walked to their class. For a brief moment, Noeru and Yuu turned to the side, glancing at the heterochromia boy staring at them and—left.

* * *

If Ayame thought the morning was hectic, class was worse.

Since she had arrived with Noeru and Yuu, many people had seen them walk together through the hall. Because she was the winner and had fought them both, there were rumors floating around their relationship since both parties were very…'familiar' with each other.

Ayame wanted to cry.

It wasn't that she—or they—were purposely touching each other on purpose! Why did everyone assume that?! Because she had fought the two 'princes' of U.A.?! And—why does it seem like there were more haters than fans after she had won?! What did Ayame do?!

She slammed her head on the table, groaning mentally at the not-so-friendly looks she received in the hallway earlier. _I'm never going to accept Yuu's offer again_ , Ayame groaned to herself, _even if it's storming—no more!_

"It looks like you had a fun morning," Hotaru giggled next to her.

"Not you too, Hotaru-chan," Ayame whined, her left cheek resting on the metal table as she looked at her desk neighbor.

"How _did_ you manage to get their attention?" Natsumi leaned on her desk, arching an eyebrow at the sullen Ayame.

"By kicking their ass apparently," Ayame rolled her eyes and sat back up. "Yuu was just being a helpful classmate earlier anyways! I would be drenched if not for him."

"Ne, did you guys hear the rumor about a girl with braids was trying to sleep with Takarada-kun and Yuu-kun?" Usagi hopped over to the three.

Ayame groaned and let her head fall again. Hotaru giggled and Natsumi jabbed a thumb in the brunette's direction, long hair revealing two little braids on the side. Usagi covered her mouth in surprise; well, that proves that rumors aren't always true.

"Is it too late to transfer schools?" Ayame mumbled.

Hotaru smiled helplessly and Usagi patted her back, sheepishly saying a quiet 'sorry' towards her.

"C'mon, focus on the bright side. Interns are starting up again. We'll be at school less just like the third-years," Natsumi looked through her thin stack of papers, "We got more requests this year compared to last. I'm sure yours are doubled ours, Ayame."

Ayame perked up again and pulled out her papers since she was unable to flip through them in the middle of the class. Her eyes light up at the requests from the hero agencies, the number totaling up to 4,689 agencies! Last year…she only had one…and that was her sister's agency.

"W-wow," Hotaru glanced at her paper, her own offers were a little under one thousand. "Which agency are you going to choose?"

"I'm not sure yet," Ayame grinned, "Well, we have until tomorrow to decide. I'll look it over tonight!"

But as soon as she said that, her eyes landed on a specific agency on the list. Her eyes bulge open, bringing the paper close to her face to make sure—she was not reading it wrong.

 **Endeavor Hero Agency**

What the heck?! Why was he inviting her?! Was this a mistake?! It has to be—right?! Was he planning on torturing her?!

"Endeavor?" Usagi blinked on her paper, "Wow—! You got recognized by him?"

"The Number Two Pro Hero—really?" Hotaru gasped.

"You should accept," Natsumi added on.

"No way!" Ayame immediately refused and shoved the papers back in her bag, "I-I'm sure it's a mistake! I-I-I have to go to 1-A now—!"

Ayame ran out the class with her bag while her friends watched her from the back.

"Ah, she ran away."

"She must have done something."

"I'm surprised though," Nao leaned back to turn to the girls, "That Ayame had gotten so strong."

"W-well, she's always been strong," Hotaru defended, "T-there wasn't much opportunity to showcase it."

"Are you serious?" Gin laughed, "We've been working hard since first year! Now she suddenly improved so much to _win_ the tournament? I don't believe it!"

"Oi, don't be jealous!" Usagi countered with a huff.

"I'm just saying—are we really sure she didn't get any...outside help?" Gin continued.

"Gin, chill," Nao sighed.

"Are you upset to have lost, Gin-san?" Yuu interjected with his usual smile, "It's alright to be frustrated but it's unsightly to be jealous."

Gin looked at Yuu oddly. Why was he interfering too? And why would Yuu _care_ to defend Ayame?

"Aren't you two upset too? She beat you!"

"Jealousy is only for narrow-minded people."

Noeru effectively shut him up.

* * *

Ayame met up with Midnight on the way to Class 1-A. She bowed her head politely to the hero while Midnight looked at her in amusement.

"Well, I haven't the chance to congratulate you, imouto-chan," Midnight smiled at Ayame, "Great job in the Sports Festival."

"O-oh! Thank you, Midnight-sensei!"

The two walked through the empty hallway together, Midnight's heels clicking on the floor at every step.

"How is Yume-chan doing? I heard she was also at the festival but couldn't say hi to my dear pupil. She's been so busy lately," Midnight started off the conversation.

During Yume's education in U.A., Midnight had picked her up as a sidekick due to their similar Quirks. The girl was perfect in everything she did and—after winning her second-year tournament; Midnight just had to get her. She was great in following directions and excelled in everything Midnight taught her—even going beyond the requirement to be a hero. Midnight was very fond on Yume but since she had graduated, there was not much time for the two to catch up besides work reports.

"She's good!" Ayame chirped, "There are times she's sent off to other cities for work but—Yume-nee always come back safe."

Due to her powerful Quirk, Yume was often sent out on the most dangerous missions. She was a highly sought after hero, after all. No one would be able to escape her gaze if she ever got serious. Not only that, Yume was not limited to relying on her Quirk. She can also fight blindfolded if her Quick was rendered ineffective in the dark and such.

Ayame was really proud of her sister.

"That's good," Midnight hummed, "Work hard, too."

"Yes!"

They arrived in front of the classroom and Midnight prepared her entrance. Ayame smiled to herself at her energetic teacher and brushed her bangs back, waiting outside as they heard Aizawa introduce hero names.

"Well, those hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it…"

Midnight slammed the door open. "…you'll have hell to pay later! Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognized by society, they end up becoming professional hero names!"

The class cheered for Midnight strutting in and Ayame hopped in after, waving to the class with a smile.

"You're all going to choose hero names today! How exciting!" Ayame clapped.

"So Midnight will be making sure your names are okay. Ayame will help; I can't do stuff like that."

Aizawa had shed off his bandages already, which surprised Ayame but she was glad her uncle was healed. He pulled out his yellow sleeping bag and Ayame sweat dropped.

"When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future and you can get closer to it. This is what it means when they say 'names and natures do often agree'. Like 'All Might', for example."

Ayame helped pass out the white boards to the front row of students, hopping back to Midnight's side afterwards. Her uncle was already asleep behind the table and Ayame shook her head at him. It was quiet for a while as students were thinking on their names and Midnight turned to Ayame.

"Why don't you present yourself, first? It will help with the others deciding."

She blinked, turning to the class who suddenly stopped writing to look at her. Well, Ayame doesn't remember telling them her hero name too… And she had already begun using it so—it makes no difference if she presented now!

"Okay!" Ayame got a chalk and wrote on the board, "Imagination Hero: Ayaminari! It's a combination of my name and 'imaginary'!"

"Aya-inari?" Kaminari joked, comparing her name to the sweet tofu sushi.

"No!" Ayame huffed, "A-ya-mi-na-ri!"

"That's a mouthful!" Mineta gaped.

"For someone who gives nicknames to others, senpai sure chose a long hero name," Tokoyami commented quietly.

"You don't like my nicknames, Toko-kun?" Ayame pouted at him.

"Ah, no…I didn't say that…"

Oh, right, Ayame do enjoy giving nicknames to people… Todoroki had his changed to 'Totoro' for awhile but…Ayame had stopped calling him that recently. Was it what he said before?

"Anyways!" Ayame pointed to her hero name excitedly, "The names often left in mythology are long names like this, ya know?! Like Izanagi, Amaterasu, Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, and such! 'Ayaminari' fits right in!"

Dark smoke trails emitted from Ayame's hand as she formed a miniature ookami on her hand, grinning as she offered it to the students.

"And, I can basically create them like this!"

"Are you trying to compare yourself to a god?" Sero snickered.

"No!" Ayame pouted again.

"I think it's cute!" Ashido laughed, "It is fitting for senpai!"

"Un! I like it too!" Kirishima agreed.

Ayame grinned. Well, at least she has some supporters. "Oh! I can also tell you why Yume-nee chose her hero name too!"

That caught everyone's attention. Ayame gave them a cheeky smile and wrote 'LullaCry' on the board again. Underneath, the words 'lullaby' and 'cry' were written down.

"They are 'lullaby' and 'cry' put together—because onee-chan will make the villains cry in shame! I was brainstorming the whole night for it!" Ayame pointed to the board proudly.

"Wait…you chose her name, too?" Kaminari asked.

"Yup!"

The class began laughing, stunning Ayame by their laugher now that the reason for Yume's hero name came out.

"I knew LullaCry wouldn't pick a cheesy name like that!" Mineta laughed.

Ayame was shocked. What the hell?!

"Oi! Are you mocking me?" Ayame crossed her arms.

"N-no," Ojiro tried to pacify, "It's…um…"

"It feels very…'you', Ayame-senpai!" Hagakure giggled.

"Your sister must love you a lot to use the name!" Ochako added on.

Ayame flushed again, bringing her hands to cover her cheeks at her kouhai laughing and comforting her. This was—a bad idea.

"I'm just—gonna go hide," Ayame ran around the corner of the table and hid behind it.

"As you can see, a hero name can be many things. Don't people still recognize and cheer for 'LullaCry'? And, Ayame-chan's heroic name is very fitting with her Quirk. In the end, the names will become a part of you and shape who you will become!" Midnight exclaimed passionately.

Ayame peeked up and sat on the teacher's chair, smiling at the class to show she wasn't truly upset. It was definitely embarrassing but…now she can tease them!

"Let's present your names!" Ayame beamed.

 _She's getting revenge_ , Todoroki thought with a slight upturn of his lips. He looked down on his board, still empty with nothing written on.

The class gaped, recognizing the gleam in Ayame's eyes as she looked over every one of them. But, the first to stand up was Aoyama, confidently walking up to the front with his board.

"Shining Hero: 'I cannot stop twinkling'! Which means, you can't stop my sparkles!"

Ayame stifled a laugh; it was a sentence?!

"It'll be easier to use if you take out the 'I' and shorten the 'cannot' to 'can't'," Midnight offered helpfully.

"It's okay?" The class gaped again.

"Yup! It's that easy," Ayame grinned.

"Then, I'll go next!" Ashido hopped onto the podium second. "Hero name: Alien Queen!"

Ayame giggled. "Isn't that a movie?"

"Are you trying for the thing with acidic blood?!" Midnight exclaimed, "I wouldn't if I were you!"

"Dang it," Ashido walked back with a pout.

 _Since the first ones were weird, it feels like we're supposed to make them funny now!_ 1-A thought nervously.

"Then, may I go next?" Tsuyu raised her hand.

"Yes, go Tsuyu-chan!" Ayame cheered.

"I've had this in mind ever since I was in elementary school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy." Tsuyu flipped the board.

"That's so cute! It seems friendly. I like it!" Midnight swooned. "It's a great example of a name that everyone will love!"

Ayame clapped her hands and the class began to cheer for 'Froppy'.

With their confidence back, Kirishima went up next with his board. "Then, I'll go too! Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!"

"Oh!" Ayame knocked her fist onto the palm of her hand, "Is it based on Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot?!"

"Yes. It's pretty old-fashioned, but the hero image I'm going for is Crimson himself," Kirishima rubbed the back of his red hair sheepishly.

"If you're bearing a name you admire, it'll come with that much more pressure," Midnight smiled.

"I'm prepared for that!"

Ayame grinned. "Good luck, Eijiro-kun! You'll do great!"

"Thanks, senpai!"

Afterwards, people began to go up one by one as the others had inspired them. Ayame clapped for them with a smile while Midnight offered a few opinions or two. But overall, there was not much difference between the name they choose as it all fit their characteristics and Quirk.

Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack, Tentacle Hero: Tentacole, Taping Hero: Cellophane, Martial Arts Hero: Tailman, Sweets Hero: Sugarman. There were many names listed as nearly half the class chose their hero names. Ashido ended up with 'Pinky' in the end after consideration.

Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt was for Kaminari. Stealth hero: Invisible Girl was obviously for Hagakure. Midnight was excited as she kept encouraging others to present their names. Yaoyozoru came up with hers as Everything Hero: Creati and after she went, Todoroki came up.

 _Oh! I wonder what name he came up with!_ Ayame thought eagerly, eyes shining in his direction while Todoroki gave her a miniscule nod.

"Shoto."

"Huh?!" Ayame blinked at him—he's using his name?

"Your name? Is that okay?" Midnight asked.

"Yeah," Todoroki nodded.

"I can suggest a name for you!" Ayame hopped up next to him. "How about Icy-Hot? Or Totoro—or—"

"—Half-and-Half Bastard," Bakugo voiced out.

Ayame gaped. "No!"

Todoroki glanced at the brunette next to him, then back onto the board with a thoughtful expression.

"Should I?" He mumbled.

"No!" The class screamed, "Those are terrible names!"

Ayame crossed her arms with a huff. "You don't have to say it like that." She turned back to Todoroki with a smile. "If you want to use your name, then I guess that's fine! Should we start calling you by your name?"

Todoroki blinked. "If…you want."

"Alright, who's next?" Midnight interrupted and Todoroki went back to his seat. Ayame also went back to her chair by the teacher's desk and saw Tokoyami walk up.

"Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi."

"Ah!" Ayame stood up, "You based it off my suggestion!"

"God of the night!" Midnight encouraged.

"Ah," Tokoyami nodded his head in Ayame's direction, "It has a nice ring to it."

She giggled and clapped her hands.

There were a few more names such as 'Fresh-Picked Hero: Grape Juice', 'Petting Hero: Anima', and then came Bakugo's turn.

"King Explosion Murder."

Ayame choked; even his presentation was scary!

"You probably shouldn't use something like that," Midnight advised.

"Why not?!" Bakugo yelled.

"What hero has 'murder' in their name?!" Ayame laughed.

"You should be 'Explosion Boy'!" Kirishima suggested from the audience.

"Shut up, Weird Hair and Crybaby!"

"What happened to 'senpai'?!" Ayame argued back.

He promptly ignored her and walked back to his desk when Ochako came up next.

"This is what I thought of after hearing Ayame-senpai's suggestions," Ochako turned to smile at her, "Uravity."

"Cute!" Ayame cheered.

"Choosing hero names is going more smoothly than I thought it would!" Midnight smiled, "All that's left is Bakugo-kun, who needs to rethink his, and Iida-kun. And Midoriya-kun, right?"

Oh! So those three are left! How strange, Ayame would thought Iida be certain of his…and Midoriya too! At that, Iida went up to the front of the class, presenting his board quietly to everyone.

'Tenya'.

"You're using your first name, too?" Midnight asked Iida. Ayame blinked; why does he look so…odd?

"Are you sure, Iida-kun? I can help!" Ayame chirped.

"No, thank you, senpai," Iida said, "I am…sure."

He went back to his seat quietly as Ayame stared at him from behind. Well…if he was sure of it, there's nothing she can do about that. Midoriya went up next and presented his board to the class. Ayame leaned over to read it, pausing along with everyone else.

"Are you really okay with that?" Kaminari asked.

"You might be called that forever, you know," Kirishima said.

"Yeah. I didn't like this name until now. But someone changed the meaning of it and that had a huge impact on me. It made me really happy," Midoriya smiled. "This is my hero name!"

'Deku'.

Ayame smiled. Well, she wasn't sure what had happened and the meaning of that name but…it looked like Midoriya was confident with his choice. She clapped her hands for him.

"Hey, since we already began calling you 'Deku'-kun, that means your hero name will stand out more!" Ayame grinned.

"Un," Midoriya turned to smile at her, "Thank you, senpai."

Midoriya sat back down and Bakugo went up with a new sign.

"Lord Explosion Murder!"

"No, that's still no good…" Midnight sweat dropped.

"The 'king' wasn't the problematic part!" Ayame laughed, "Why not change it to 'Kacchan'?!"

"Then I'll change yours," Bakugo cracked his knuckles.

Ayame harrumphed. "Mine can't be changed. It's already in the system."

Bakugo glowered again and walked back to his seat. The bell rang at that time and Aizawa woke up, shifting out of his sleeping back.

"Morning, Shouta-oji!" Ayame greeted.

"Hm," Aizawa tapped her head and she got out of his seat. "Now that everyone's decided on their hero names, we'll go back to talking about internships. They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them, those who had offers from pros will be given your own lists so you can choose from those yourself. Those who didn't have offers will choose from among 40 agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns."

Aizawa and Midnight continued to explain the differences in hero agencies. Some specialized in rescues; others were recon, combat, and such. Ayame helped pass out the internship papers to the students based on their names, noticing that Bakugo and Todoroki had the most offers.

"Turn in your choices before the weekend," Aizawa began to walk out with Midnight.

"We only have two days!?"

"Make your decision efficiently. If you have any questions, ask your senpai." Aizawa turned around, "Dismiss."

Ayame blinked from the front as a few pair of eyes turned to her. Others were scanning their own list and Ayame thought back to hers. Maybe she needs to take a look over all the four thousand offers.

 _Or…they could be because of my sister_ , Ayame sighed.

"Senpai, how was your internship last year?" Tsuyu asked.

"It was so-so," Ayame sat on the teacher's chair again, propping one hand onto her chin, "I worked at LullaCry's agency but it was mainly office work," Ayame grimaced, "There weren't a lot for me to do."

"Are you sure you didn't goof off?" Sero interjected.

"Oi!" Ayame pouted, "There really wasn't any work! Yume-nee took care of any villains within a minute!"

"That's amazing though… What about your internship for this year?" Jirou asked.

"Ah, I received over four thousand six hundred offers," Ayame bragged and held up four fingers, "I haven't decided yet, either. But we have until tomorrow only. So—I'll be leaving tomorrow before you guys!"

"Ah! What if we ended up meeting each other in our hero run?" Ochako asked excitedly.

"Maybe!"

They began to talk about their own agencies and Ayame hopped off the teacher's chair. Tsuyu, Ojiro, Ashido, and Ochako ended up surrounding Midoriya's table and as she glanced by, she saw the ash blonde shaking in anger. Ayame giggled to herself before heading towards the door.

"Are there any other questions? I'm going to be leaving now!"

"Ah, wait, senpai!" Ochako called out.

"Hm?"

"We realized after the Sports Festival that we are missing something important from you!" Ochako grinned and pulled out her phone, "Your phone number!"

"Oh, yeah!" Kirishima pulled out his too, "We need to add you to our group chat!"

"Really?" Ayame perked up and ran back to their side, her own smart phone in hand, "That's right! You want to add me too? I'm so happy!"

"Of course," Ashido grinned, "This way, we can keep in contact with everyone!"

And just like that, Ayame exchanged a few phone numbers with the students and Ochako included her in their 1-A group chat. She grinned at the multiple messages she received and added the students onto her phone one by one.

"Oh, right, Kacchan!" Bakugo turned to glare at the brunette, "I saw you at the tournament too, you know! Congrats on winning! Now, are you going to accept me?"

Ayame leaned over his desk with a grin, waving her phone around proudly although the ash blonde was glaring heatedly at her.

"After all, we're both Sports Festival winners!"

"That doesn't mean anything!" Bakugo yelled back, "Aren't you the girl trying to seduce the two pretty boys? Did they let you win?"

Ayame gaped, straightening up with a glare.

"Those are just rumors! Are you stupid enough to believe them?"

"Who's the stupid one?!" Bakugo shot out of his desk.

"It would be _you_ if you actually believed them!"

"You're the one stupid enough to let a rumor happen in the first place!"

"That's not being stupid when it's out of my control, you—stupid Kacchan!"

"Stupid crybaby!"

The classmates looked at the two arguing with each other, sweating and smiling nervously at them like children. But…it didn't feel hostile or anything when it came to Bakugo. It just…seemed that's was the only way those two can get along.

"A-ny-ways!" Ayame ignored Bakugo to turn towards the students, "I'm going now! I probably won't see you guys for another week. Good luck on your internship!" Ayame hopped out the door again, waving her silver phone behind her, "You know how to reach me now!"

Todoroki glanced at the long brunette hair disappearing around the door, then back to his own smart phone.

* * *

When the bell rang for school to end, Ayame stayed behind the classroom to clean up as part of her duty. Usagi stayed behind with her as partners and together, they quickly finished the cleanup in ten minutes. After a quick farewell, Ayame hopped down to the shoe lockers by the entrance and changed her shoes.

Students were leaving around her as Ayame closed her locker. She brushed back her hair and looked up to the doors, blinking at the sight of the heterochromia boy leaning against the wall.

He was still here?

"Ah, Todoroki-kun! Are you heading home now?" Ayame greeted kindly.

"Yes," he gave a small nod and pushed himself off the wall.

Ayame blinked when Todoroki began to walk with her out the school. Her mind blanked and her feet stopped moving when Todoroki also stopped to glance back at her.

"We go the same way, right?"

"Y-yeah!" Ayame barely remembered to respond.

She caught up with him quickly, trying to hide the shock from her face and wondering why Todoroki decided to change his mind. Before, wasn't he the one to ignore her? But…considering how their little talk went and the Sports Festival aftermath… Maybe he doesn't dislike her as she thought!

While Ayame was still caught up in her thoughts, Todoroki glanced to the side. There, he saw the two 'princes' by the school, eyes looking in their direction. Todoroki tilted his chin up at them and then looked away.

"Is he challenging us?" Yuu chuckled softly.

Noeru said nothing, crystal eyes narrowed at their two disappearing backs.

"Why did you end up using your name anyways?" Ayame asked curiously.

She figured it would be best to not question Todoroki why he was walking with her. Since he had decided to approach her first and wasn't putting up the cold front anymore, Ayame felt more comfortable around him. They did share a meal together and although Ayame had been the one to mainly carry out the conversation, it wasn't awkward.

Todoroki can be quite funny and cute at times too. The little surprised emotions that had managed to escape his blank face were amusing. Ayame wanted to see what other expressions he can do—but she knew not to push for it. He had accepted her—and she had (faintly) understood him. His experience was not something anyone can bear or forget but, she hoped at least he will trust her to stay by his side.

"' _The names will become a part of you and shape who you will become'_. That's what Midnight-sensei said. I guess I just wanted to be 'myself'," Todoroki explained, "With my own body and powers."

Ayame blinked, a slow smile emerging as she looked his way. He was changing.

"That's a good resolve," Ayame complimented, "Maybe I should start calling you by your hero name."

"I don't mind," Todoroki said.

—but she was only joking! Ayame wasn't sure if they were _close_ enough to go by first names! Sure—he had called her once and she was welcoming to everyone by her first name but—it felt a little…embarrassing the other way around! Todoroki didn't feel like the type to…be called so casually like she does with others.

Todoroki glanced at her with his grey eye, as if sensing her mental dilemma and smiled just the slightest. It disappeared just as fast, his smiles (if it was even considered as one) never stayed for long. But, he had realized he's been doing it often…

"A-anyways," Ayame coughed, "What about your internship? I saw you had over four thousand offers as well!"

 _She's changing the subject_ , Todoroki knew. He heard her call Aizawa fondly before; their names were only one syllable different. Not only that, Ayame was capable of saying the comic genres completely fine as he overheard her talking to her friends and in 1-A before. Shounen, shoujo, Shouta...what difference does 'Shoto' make?

Todoroki brushed it away from mind for now. She wasn't obligated to call him anything. He only thought it was fitting because she gave everyone permission to call her by her name.

"It's mostly because of my old man," Todoroki frowned, "But…I'm going to his agency."

Ayame looked at him in shock. "Wha—really?"

"Ah," he nodded his head, "After speaking with my mother that day...she told me to move forward without holding back...that would be her happiness and salvation. The old me would never consider my old man for internship. It's not that I've forgiven him, and I have no intention of doing so but I want to see what _makes_ him the Number Two Hero… His experiences…his power… I'll see it all myself."

"Wow…" Ayame smiled, gentle and kind as she faced forward, "You've really grown up."

"I'm only one year younger," Todoroki deadpanned.

There's not a big difference between them. There was no reason for Ayame to treat him like so but it may have just be her nature in general. She was a caretaker to her family, an upperclassman invested in 1-A's class, and just...an all round _good_ person. It was odd to find someone as cheery and...helpful as her.

But...it wasn't a bad thing. Because of her, Todoroki had realized a few things. He was able to confront his mother again and seek the redemption he wasn't able to face for the past decade. Everything felt clearer now that he wasn't fueled by hatred anymore. Although he does not plan on forgiving his father, Todoroki needed to learn a few (hero) things from him.

"What agency are you going to?" Todoroki asked in the end because he really was curious.

"Hmm," Ayame looked up to the grey sky, "I'm not sure yet. There are so many offers but…I think it's because of my sister," she laughed sheepishly. Todoroki glanced at her.

"I'm sure you'll have a few genuine ones," he said casually; she was having the same issue as him, apparently.

"Mhmm…but I think…I may want to go with my sister's agency."

"…oh?"

Ayame turned to him with a smile. "You've inspired me! My sister is super strong, too, but I never really witnessed her in battle! Last year, she kept me in the office for nearly five days before taking me out on patrol. I think she doesn't think I can handle it," Ayame pouted briefly. "But…I'm stronger now. LullaCry…often gets sent on dangerous missions… I think she's afraid of seeing me hurt."

That was…unexpected. Todoroki wasn't sure on how to respond to that. Their sibling bonds were really close. He can see how much both sisters love each other. Although Ayame had slight insecurity regarding Yume before…it never twisted her love for her. She truly and dearly loves her family.

"But, I want to support her. I don't want to keep seeing my sister return home all battered up. So—I'll be a hero to protect my family," Ayame turned to Todoroki with a smile then, "And friends!"

 _Whoever senpai likes in the future will be very fortunate…_

The thought was just as fleeting.

They reached the train station fairly quickly afterwards. Ayame ran out of topics to say and Todoroki was his usual quiet self but, it wasn't odd or awkward. The two walked side by side as before, both lost in their own thoughts about one thing or another.

When they entered the train, it wasn't as packed as it would be in the morning. They found one empty seat which Todoroki offered to her, and she smiled at him thankfully. He rested on the railing in front of her; the train was silent except for the machinery running below them.

Ayame received a few buzzes on her phone, looking down to add a few other 1-A members in her system. Briefly, she glanced up at Todoroki to see if he would add her but—quickly looked down just as fast. Todoroki hadn't notice, his mismatched eyes looking to the side of the cart. There were a few other students from different school around...their eyes sneaking not-so-secret glances at Ayame.

He shifted his feet just an inch closer, his body tilted slightly to the side to cover her. Todoroki glanced down again, her bare knees were nearly touching his legs but Ayame hadn't noticed. She was still on her phone, a small smile on her lips and long hair framed her face. Todoroki understood why people would be staring.

Ayame was attractive. Todoroki wasn't blind nor was he embarrassed to admit that. He can see why people had stopped her before. Bright, lilac eyes and long, tan hair; a cute, playful smile and innocent yet daring eyes. Not only that, she was tall for a girl with pretty proportions… Todoroki shook those thoughts from his mind.

At that time, Ayame looked up to smile at him. Todoroki blinked as she turned her phone around to show him an image of a cute cat playing in a box. She was trying to stifle her giggles and the corner of his lips quirked up just the slightest.

When they reached their station, the two left the train together. Ayame hummed as they reached upstairs to leave the station and paused, knowing they would go on separate paths after.

"I'll see you next time, Todoroki-kun!" Ayame smiled brightly, "Oh, and thanks, during the train ride I mean. Usually, I ignore the stares since they would think I'm Yume-nee but, that's the first time someone tried to cover me."

Ayame giggled behind her hand in amusement. Todoroki blinked at her; he didn't think she would notice. Again, he thought she was more perceptive than others believed. Still, Ayame was self-conscious again, brushing off others easily because of her famous sister.

"It's…probably not because of that," Todoroki began, "You're a Sports Festival winner, senpai."

With that, he shoved a hand in his pocket, turning to his direction of the house.

"And, you're pretty, too."

Ayame was left staring at his back in disbelief, cheeks turning red in an alarming rate as she put one hand to her cheek. Quickly, she turned around to walk towards her home, ignoring how frantic she may have looked to others.

Just—what the heck?!

She didn't think Todoroki would be this— _blunt_! Was he always like this? Sure, he may not speak a lot but—Ayame was positive he's always honest with his comments. So—where the hell did that come from?!

 _I heard wrong_ , Ayame convinced herself, _or he's just teasing. That must be it._

That night, Ayame received a text message from a new number again. It only contained two words but—it was enough to startle her.

' _It's Shoto.'_

* * *

 **A/N:**

I do enjoy writing school scenes a lot ahaha. They're slowly easing back into the school life but you can already see the changes Ayame have with the people around her—especially Todoroki.

Names are very important in Japan and how they call each other impacts how close they are, too. Ayame is more modern in the sense that she allows others to call her by her first name, to differentiate herself as well, but her and Yuu have already shown to be much closer than before and as for Shoto…don't worry! He will also have his moment!

Reviews are much loved! I appreciate all and any of them ToT Thank you for your time!

Check out **PrivateCardy** (Instagram) for art! I sometimes do requests and write AUs on there!


	16. Interns

_**Y** K** chapter 15 . Apr 23 :**_ _Dude story was great but ur oc is stupid sndvu just made it a nsive litylr girl who thinks she can try to save people from them selves by her using midoriya to Todoroki mskes u naive LMFAO STORY IS STUPID AS FUCK XD_

Um...lol?

I think…what really baffled me…was that you took the time to read all the updated chapters…only to flame it in the end…without proper spelling and grammar… Are you okay?

This story is for my own pleasure and I enjoy sharing it with others. You have no obligations to read it if you don't want to! There are literally thousands of other fanfics to read but I really hope you won't flame others like this!

I'm not sure if you'll even see this message but I'm not gonna bother with this in the future. Not worth reporting.

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 **Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

The next day, Ayame headed to Yume's agency with her hero suitcase. She hadn't told Yume that she decided on her agency but Ayame did spend a long time contemplating it. There were a lot of familiar and unfamiliar agencies extending their offer to Ayame and she spent hours looking them up, too. There was not another surprising offer like Endeavors, which she still couldn't figure out _why_ he choose her, and decided to promptly ignore him.

 _It must have been a mistake_ , Ayame believed, _and there's no way I can stand his behavior…_

But, Todoroki was able to look past all of that. He was brave...and Ayame couldn't help but feel proud and happy for him. Maybe her classmates were right; she was looking at 1-A like her own children.

With a shake of her head, Ayame entered the large hero agency of her sisters. It wasn't that Yume owned it—but it was because of _her_ that the company was able to keep a prestigious reputation. The agency was located in Tokyo but often, nearby cities would request LullaCry for help. She was just _that_ sought after. And, usually, her sister could not refuse the requests. She was a hero that wanted to help as much people as possible.

Ayame cleared through the reception, smiling as others recognized her with just a glance. Her hair was loose again, two little braids wrapped around the back of her head unlike the bun she had made before. She told herself to be confident, there's no need to be insecure anymore.

Yume was in her office when the assistant led Ayame in. She had a phone in hand, talking to the person on the other line and scheduled a meeting quickly. Afterwards, her violet eyes looked up to Ayame—surprise flashing by her face as she saw her little sister grinning at her.

"Hello! I am the intern from U.A. High School, Ayaminari! _Yoroshiku onegaishimasu_!" Ayame bowed her head.

The assistant left, leaving the two sisters alone and after being stunned for one second, Yume laughed. She approached her sister and playfully pinched her cheeks.

"Why, you," Yume giggled, "This is a nice surprise."

"Ow, onee-chan!" Ayame pouted, her lips stretching out even more from the pinch, "I am here as a professional hero!"

"Yes, yes," Yume let her go, "But you're still my precious imouto."

Ayame blushed but a happy smile was on her face at that. She sat on the couch in the middle of the room, opening her suitcase to reveal her hero costume.

"Yume-nee! This year, I want real hero work!" Ayame demanded adamantly, "I think I've earned it!"

Yume blinked and sat on the other couch, looking at her sister in amusement. "You know, I was thinking the same thing if you had chosen this agency. I'm glad that you did. I don't plan on holding back, either."

Ayame grinned in satisfaction.

"Why did you choose mine, anyways? I'm sure there were a lot of other agencies that wanted your power. Being a U.A. Sports Festival winner comes with many perks," Yume asked curiously.

"Because I want to learn from you!" Ayame leaned closer to Yume in excitement. "My onee-chan is too strong! That and, All Might didn't choose me."

Ayame sulked and Yume reached out to pinch her again. "You little mischievous kid, I'm only an afterthought?"

"Of course not!" Ayame defended, "Shouta-oji didn't choose me, either!"

Yume pinched her harder, causing Ayame to laugh in pain.

"But, really, what will we be doing this time?" Ayame calmed down to ask again, lilac eyes shining in anticipation.

Yume smiled and sat up straighter. "There's a few more paperwork I have to take care of but we will be patrolling later at night. We also need to let our family know we will be leaving Tokyo for a while."

"We are? What for?" Ayame tilted her head.

"What do you think?" Yume teased, "We're going on a mission, of course!"

* * *

After much reassurance to their parents, Ayame and Yume packed up for their trip. Yume still haven't told her where they were going, only saying to pack at least a week worth of clothes and her hero outfit. Suzume was sad to see them both go but the sisters had coddled the youngest sibling enough as assurance.

And so, the two headed out bright and early. Ayame donned her hero costume, fixing the starry cape in happiness as it was repaired and smoothed out the red skirt. Yume adjusted her headband, bringing Ayame's attention to it and looked away shyly.

"I can't believe you still wear that."

Yume glanced down at her sister, lowering her hand with a smile and giggled. "Of course. It was a present from you and Suzu. How can I _not_ wear it?"

"But it doesn't even match with your costume!" Ayame whined, a small blush covering her cheeks as she glanced at the starry headband. It was a gift Ayame and Suzume made two years ago for Yume's graduation present. It was cheesy and—childish but for the two siblings, they didn't know how else to congratulate their eldest sister.

"So?" Yume arched an eyebrow, "I still love it."

Ayame huffed in embarrassment. "So—you never told me where we're going!"

They arrived at the train station but Yume went to the express lane, her hero license gave her clearance to the VIP section. A few civilians had glanced at them in surprise but seeing how both sisters were wearing their hero suits, they dared not to disturb them.

"Hosu City," Yume answered seriously, "This is actually an important case for us. We were hired by another hero agency to work with them in tracking."

Ayame blinked, her mouth opening in surprise at the information. Hosu…City?!

"Is this—regarding—the Hero Killer: Stain?!" Ayame asked, trying to keep her voice to a minimum.

Yume merely nodded, glancing at her in a warning to quiet down and Ayame complied. Of course, something as sensitive regarding the Hero Killer shouldn't be talked about so openly. From what Ayame saw on television…that villain had already killed seventeen heroes and injured twenty-three beyond recovery…

 _It's another dangerous mission…_ Ayame realized, lilac eyes studying her calm sister. _Again, Yume-nee is being requested for something like this…_

But, not only that, Ayame had heard from Hotaru that Iida's brother was the one injured in the last attack. It had been a shock for Ayame to find out _Ingenium_ was Iida's older brother but—mostly, she was worried. Ayame wasn't able to provide any support to her kouhai before she left… That would explain Iida's weird mood lately, too…

 _What if…Yume-nee was the one to be injured?_

They arrived in their cart and set their suitcases in the storage space. Yume sat down on one of the chairs and waited for Ayame. Now that the two were alone, the older sister pulled out her tablet containing the work information.

"The Hero Killer was last seen in Hosu City after injuring Turbo Hero: Ingenium. Based on his previous sightings, Stain would not leave that city yet until he killed or severely injured least four heroes," Yume briefed her carefully. "This… I wouldn't have wanted you to come along… So that's why, for your interns, I do _not_ want you to leave my side at all."

"Okay…" Ayame agreed slowly. "But—I want to help, too. Even I can be of some assistance, nee-chan."

Yume smiled and set her tablet on the table. "I'm sure you will but I also need to know that if I ever tell you to 'run', you do it with no hesitation."

 _What…?_ "I won't lea—"

"This isn't up for negotiation, Ayame," Yume said seriously.

Ayame pursed her lips and looked away. "I will…do what is right in the situation."

" _Ayame_ ," Yume scolded again.

"You can't tell me to run when faced like that! I won't freeze in front of a villain and watch a family member of mine nearly get killed again!" Ayame stood up.

Yume faltered, violet eyes softening by her resolve. USJ…had changed Ayame. Aizawa's defeat…had really scarred her.

But…

"Your safety is also my top priority, Aya," Yume said softly, "You are interning under my rules now. And, a hero's rules are law." Ayame frowned. "But…I will take your feelings into consideration because you are my sister."

At that, Ayame relaxed and gave a small smile. As long as Yume can trust her, can believe in her, then Ayame will be fine with it. They sat in the cart a little longer as she gazed out the window before realizing something.

"Why aren't we leaving yet?"

Yume looked up from her tablet. "Oh, don't you remember? We are working alongside the agency that hired me for the week. We're waiting for them here."

Oh, Ayame did remember her mentioning something like that.

"Who is it?"

"Mm…you should know of them," Yume smiled teasingly.

"Is it All Might?!"

At that, the door to the cart slammed open. The two sisters turned to look in their direction and suddenly—Ayame froze. Her eyes opened wide, mouth parted in disbelief and—a pair of turquoise eyes glared down at her.

What was _Endeavor_ doing here?!

Ayame had been so shocked that—she hadn't realized another body was partially hiding behind Endeavor's. Todoroki took half a step to the side, heterochormia eyes glancing at the two brunettes in mild surprise.

They…were going to work with them? His father had mentioned they will be partnering up with another agency, which Todoroki found odd because Endeavor _never_ works with anyone, but he hadn't realized…it would be LullaCry…and his senpai. Todoroki sneaked a glance at his father and saw his eyes blazing in anger by Ayame's previous remark.

 _Serves him right_ , Todoroki felt lighter.

"W-w-w-what's _Endeavor_ doing _here_?!" Ayame whispered to her sister in shock but—due to the empty cart, everyone can hear her completely.

"I _hired_ you," Endeavor answered instead and took a step forward.

Ayame gaped and began to sweat, inching slowly behind Yume. Crap—! She thought she could avoid seeing Endeavor if she didn't accept his internship but—she hadn't realized he hired them! It also doesn't help that Ayame technically—wasn't exactly _polite_ to him during their first meeting! H-he's not mad about that—was he?!

Her eyes zeroed in on Todoroki, his mismatched eyes looking at her silently and Ayame quickly ran over. He would be her saving grace—hopefully!

"Todo—Shoto-kun!" Ayame threw away her shame and grasped his hand, "L-let's check out the snack station in the cart! T-the pros probably have stuff they need to talk about!"

With that, she began to drag him through the door. Todoroki left his suitcase behind, not once looking behind him as he followed Ayame out. His eyes glanced down at their joined hands, noticing that she was extremely embarrassed and nervous that he could feel the heat radiate onto him. Due to her embarrassment, she even called him by his first name. Was it because she didn't want to say the same surname in the presence of his father?

"Oh my," Yume blinked at where the two students disappeared off to, "I didn't know Ayame was friends with your son."

"Hm," Endeavor took a seat on the other chair. After rebuking him and rejecting his internship offer, she decided to act scared and run off? That brat… "Your sister…is really impetuous."

"Oh?" Yume smiled in amusement. "Have you met before?"

Endeavor decided to not answer that.

"Ahhhh!" Ayame let go of Todoroki's hand to grasp her head, long brown hair swaying with her as she leaned on the side of the cabinets. "I-I can't believe—Endeavor hired Yume-nee! If I had known I would have chosen another agency—! Todoroki-kun—did Endeavor ever mention—if he's upset at me?"

 _She switched names again?_ Todoroki blinked, watching her wide lilac eyes peer at him almost hopefully. Thinking back, his old man had mentioned he sent out another internship but…only Shoto had arrived to his agency. And—if he remembered Midoriya correctly, didn't he say something about Ayame 'talked back' to his father before?

"No…" Todoroki answered slowly.

Ayame let out a sigh of relief. "Maybe he doesn't remember me," she whispered to herself.

"He's the Number Two Pro Hero for a reason," Todoroki reminded, "His memory would be just as annoying."

She whimpered and knocked her head on the cabinet. Todoroki blinked at her again and searched through the little snack station, finding a refreshing sweet tea and handed it to Ayame. She startled at the sudden offer and sighed, smiling in the end at her kouhai's consideration.

"I guess—I'll be able to handle it," Ayame uncapped the bottle to take a sip.

Finally, she noticed the different costume Todoroki had on this time. It was a navy blue suit with a combat vest over it. It was a lot different compared to his previous white and ice one but—it looked _good_. Ayame couldn't help but wonder…if she had any reason for his costume upgrade.

… _No, that can't be it_ , Ayame laughed at herself.

" _And, you're pretty, too."_

She startled at the memory, nearly forgetting his comment from their last meeting. Todoroki looked normal as he blinked at her and quickly, Ayame waved all of those thoughts from mind. He was only polite—Ayame just wasn't—used to it yet.

"O-oh! If you're here—we'll be working together for this week!" Ayame realized. She will try her best to avoid Endeavor as much as possible—maybe he wouldn't even pay attention to her if Todoroki was here. But, it was a happy surprise that they will be working together.

"Ah," Todoroki agreed, nodding his head politely. " _Yoroshiku_."

Ayame giggled. " _Yoroshiku onegaishimasu_ ," she bowed back.

They waited a little longer by the snack station. Ayame was trying to calm herself down to face Endeavor again while Todoroki silently glanced at her from time to time. Now, he truly was curious about what she said to be so deeply afraid of his father. Endeavor never mentioned anything about his classmates or the tournament but it wasn't that Todoroki actively went out to seek him.

 _Maybe I should ask Midoriya…_

" _Passengers, we will begin boarding in 5 minutes. Please take your seats accordingly. Thank you."_

Ayame blinked and sighed, throwing the empty can to the recycle trash and turned to Todoroki with a smile.

"Should we head back?" It was now or never.

Todoroki nodded his head and led the way back. When they returned, Endeavor was sitting across from Yume while the younger hero was looking out the window. It seemed like there wasn't much discussion was necessary but, Ayame felt herself twitch at Endeavor sitting in her seat. Todoroki glanced at her and took the first step to sit on the adjacent seats, inclining his head just the slightest towards the seat opposite of him. Realizing what he meant, Ayame happily went over to sit across.

"Everyone must have gone to their interns already, hm?" Ayame wondered quietly, as if to not disturb the pro heroes next to them. "Oh! Let's send them a photo of us together!"

Ayame pulled out her cell phone and angled it so both of them would be in the picture frame with the window as their background. Yume glanced at them quietly, a small smile on her lips while Endeavor remained motionless. Todoroki complied and leaned in, a blank—yet casual—expression on his face while Ayame was smiling brightly to it.

She took the picture and they both straightened up. Ayame smiled and sent the photo to the group chat, adding 'guess who's partnering up together!' Todoroki's phone buzzed and took it out to see Ayame's message first. Quietly, he clicked on the photo of them together and saved it within his phone.

The remaining train ride was quiet. Ayame was left alone to her phone with Todoroki occasionally glancing at his. Endeavor and Yume were catching up on their work with their own tablets.

When they finally arrived in Hosu City, all of them took their suitcases and left. Endeavor was leading in the front, Todoroki was walking a step behind him, and the two sisters were walking side by side. Ayame was talking to Yume carefully as they browsed through the shops around; making sure her voice was not a loud volume to disturb Endeavor. Yume was slightly amused to see her normally lively sister be so cautious.

They ended up at a luxurious hotel and it was enough to quiet Ayame as she gaped at the building. She looked between Endeavor and Yume and knew—it was mainly because of them that they are able to afford this hotel. With a shake of her head, all four of them headed to check in.

There were two rooms saved for them; one for the sisters and the other for the father-son pair. It was next to each other on the 36th floor and Ayame wondered how many connections they must have to receive this treatment…

"Meet back in the lobby in 15 minutes," Endeavor instructed, "We will begin patrol afterwards."

With that, they headed into their own rooms and as soon as Ayame entered, she let out a huge sigh and flopped on one of the two beds available.

"I don't know how you're able to be so calm around him," Ayame sighed wistfully to her sister.

"Maybe because I didn't do anything to anger him?" Yume wondered out loud.

"H-how did you know?!" Ayame shot up from bed, looking at Yume by the closet with an agape expression.

"Because he's the first hero you didn't immediately ask an autograph from," Yume giggled. Ayame froze—she had asked that—once! "And, you acted like Endeavor-san was going to somehow eat you alive. So, how did you guys meet and what did you say to him?"

Ayame groaned again and fell back onto the bed. Yume was definitely too smart for Ayame to hide anything from.

"For the record, I don't regret it," Ayame said with a huff. "But he was just—being an ass! If possible, I would travel back in time to save Todoroki-kun from him."

" _Language_ ," Yume interjected and paused, looking at her sister with curious violet eyes. "I assume it's…complicated family matters then?"

"You have no idea."

Ayame sighed again and got up, brushing the loose hair behind her ears and offered a smile to Yume.

"But, he's grown a lot from it. I'll do whatever I can to help!"

"Oh?" Yume arched one eyebrow, "Now…was he also the one you had the little date with?"

Ayame froze, mouth opening in shock by her implications. "It wasn't a _date_! W-we just ended up meeting in the hospital!" She quickly stood up and headed towards the door, "I-I'm going to go down first!"

Yume looked amused by her sister's flustered attitude and giggled, watching Ayame quickly leave the room. Her eyes landed to the wall next to her, a small smile on her lips.

"Todoroki Shoto…hm?"

* * *

Ayame huffed as she waited for the elevator, brushing long strands of brown hair away from her face again. The whole floor was silent except for her and another second passed before the elevator rang and opened. She stepped in the empty booth and turned to press the lobby floor.

"Ah."

She blinked, looking up to see Todoroki head her way. She held the door open and allowed him in, noticing that his father was not behind him. Ayame sighed in relief again before closing the door and pressed for the lobby.

"Oh, Todoroki-kun, did Endeavor tell you what we're doing here?" Ayame started the conversation.

"We're going after the Hero Killer," one turquoise eye turned to her then, "Did you know?"

"Ah, yeah," Ayame nodded her head, staring at the gold reflection before her eyes, "Yume-nee filled me in earlier. I'm not sure how high of a chance we'll be able to run into him but…let's do our best, yeah?"

Todoroki nodded his head once and the elevator stopped. Both of them exited and walked out together. For a second, her hand brushed against his warm one and startled Ayame, quickly moving her hands behind her to prevent it from swaying. Todoroki didn't say anything and Ayame glanced to the side, trying to think up of a topic. Her eyes landed on a little gift shop in the hotel and she turned to the heterochromia boy again.

"Ah, we have some time now. Want to browse for a gift for your mother?"

He was taken aback by her thoughtfulness and followed where her finger pointed. With a slow nod, Todoroki and Ayame headed into the gift shop. There were stacks of snacks at one side, clothing at another and little souvenirs in the corner. It was mainly themed based on the luxurious hotel and Ayame sighed again at the price tag of the items.

"On a second thought, maybe we shouldn't buy it here," Ayame smiled sheepishly.

"Oh! Are you from U.A.?!"

Both of them turned to the voice, seeing a shop assistant walk up to them with a bright smile. Ayame smiled back and Todoroki nodded his head.

"I saw you both in the Sports Festival! My, congratulations on winning, Sasaki-san! And Todoroki-san, you were just as powerful! As expected of being related to pro heroes!" The man said as compliments.

Ayame twitched yet still kept the smile up politely. Todoroki hummed, unamused.

"Thank you, sir, but she won with her own strength. Not because of her family," Todoroki said coolly, "Excuse us."

He grabbed her hand and led them out, causing Ayame to look at him in surprise—then to the shocked assistant. She muttered a quick 'sorry' to the other man and followed Todoroki out with a small shake of her head.

"What was that for?" Ayame asked.

He glanced at her again before facing forward. "I'm tired of hearing the same thing."

Somehow, a smile had made its way onto Ayame's face as she recalled his words. Wasn't he only defending her?

Behind, Yume giggled in amusement as the two standing side by side, glancing at the stoic Endeavor with his usual frown on his lips.

"They get along well," Yume couldn't help but comment.

Endeavor didn't acknowledge her and walked forward. As soon as they noticed their family was approaching, Ayame and Todoroki turned to the two seriously, waiting for further instructions.

"We will be patrolling the main city," Endeavor acted as the leader and marched forward, "Hero Killer usually hunts in dark alleys near the agencies. We will circle around the perimeter and trap him from both sides if necessary."

"We'll be separating?" Ayame asked.

Endeavor gave her a sharp look and she immediately quieted down, slowly inching backwards from him. Yume smiled helplessly and Todoroki stared back at him.

"Only until we return back to here," Endeavor answered.

With that, he headed out the hotel. Todoroki glanced back at them and the two sisters followed. Endeavor took a left and Todoroki followed him after seeing a small wave from Ayame. Then, the brunettes went to the right.

"Ugh," as soon as he was out of hearing range, Ayame grumbled again, "I used to admire him."

"He's just very dedicated to his work," Yume said lightly.

 _It's a little more than that,_ Ayame resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Nee-chan, do you work for Endeavor often?"

"Not as often as you would imagine," Yume hummed, "All of the times he contacted our agency could be counted on one hand. But this time, it is a special case. The police would like all the help they can get regarding you-know-who."

A few middle school students walked by then, eyes shining in excitement at Yume and she smiled and waved like a professional. Ayame was in awe; her sister attracted attention everywhere she went.

"The civilians in Hosu City are anxious," Yume whispered with her usual smile, "At times like these, seeing a hero in their city will boost morale. We are the ones they will look up to for their safety."

"It's also because you've beat Mt. Lady in the Hero Billboard Chart JP," Ayame snickered, "Man, she was so upset when you won in the popularity ranking."

"I-it wasn't my intention," Yume waved her hand nervously. She had only won by two spots at ranked 21—whereas Mt. Lady was ranked 23.

"And!" Ayame didn't stop, "You're only two years younger than her!"

"Aya!" Yume was red in embarrassment, "Popularity isn't always everything. As heroes, we cannot focus on the fame and fortune. We are here for public safety and to assist the police."

"Yes, ma'am," Ayame giggled.

At that time, a sudden crash came from across the street. Their head snapped in that direction as they saw a man jump through a glass door with armful of jewels.

"Thief! Please, help!"

Yume ran without a second hesitation. She took out her lasso and threw it at the streetlight across, tugging on the rope and swung across the traffic. Yume landed in front of the man and her eyes widen, a red glow emitted from violet eyes staring straight into black one. Suddenly—the man fell down, unconscious. Ayame watched all of that happen in what felt like five seconds, mouth parting in awe again at her sister.

"LullaCry! Thank you!"

"You're the best!"

"Can we take a photo?!"

Yume merely smiled and motioned for the civilians to stay back. Through the mass of people, she found Ayame still dazed from across the street. She waved for her sister over and Ayame finally reacted, summoning a small tengu to fly across the traffic to land before her.

"It's the imouto!"

"The Sports Festival winner?!"

"This is amazing! They're here together!"

Ayame sweated inwardly. Was this how Yume felt being bombard by the civilians all the time?

"Everyone, please," Yume smiled professionally, "We must take him to the police station now. Thank you all for showing support and love for us but, if you may…"

"Of course, LullaCry!"

"Sorry for disturbing you!"

"Do your best!"

"I love you!"

Slowly, the crowd lessened and Yume went down to pick up the unconscious man. Ayame helped return the stolen jewels to the store owner and after confirming everything was in order, they left.

"Ahh, nee-chan sure is amazing," Ayame said wistfully, a large ookami summoned to carry the unconscious man. Seeing the heroes at work, no one else dared to stop them but—many had waved in their direction. "A 5-star hotel…being worshipped at every turn…getting recognized with just a glance…"

"It was only because of Endeavor-san we got such a hotel," Yume tried to justify.

"So you admit to being worshipped?" Ayame asked cheekily.

"No!"

Ayame giggled and decided to stop teasing her sister. Soon, they dropped off the criminal to a police station. Yume took care of the paper works and gave a few autographs, smiling sheepishly while Ayame gave her a knowing look from the side. The older sister resisted the urge to pinch Ayame again and she giggled.

"But, you know," Yume started quietly as soon as they left the police station, "We didn't want to tell you or Suzu because otou-san and okaa-san didn't want to worry you but… The government had notified us that in a few more months, Nightmare's compensation will end."

"What?!" Ayame startled at the secret, looking at her sister with wide eyes.

Yume smiled reassuringly. "There's nothing for you to worry about. They had saved plenty over the years and I can make enough to support our family, too. There won't be any changes to your life."

Ayame gaped at her sister in shock. It was only after Yume's reassurance did Ayame slowly calm down. Their father's work does make a decent amount of money as a famed painter and LullaCry does often get hired. But still…

 _I want to hurry up and be a hero, so I can help, too…_

By the time they met up with Endeavor and Todoroki again, it was night time. There had been no signs of the Hero Killer from either of them and quickly, they took a short break for dinner. They continued to patrol in the night time, circling the dark alleyways and hero agencies but weren't able to find any clue of villains in general.

Since the word was spread around that Endeavor and LullaCry were in the city, the villains all collectively hid away.

* * *

"Ah, it's like if you want someone to show up, they purposely disappear from you," Ayame sighed, reaching down to grab her juice from the vending machine. Next to her, Todoroki leaned against the wall to wait.

"If it was this easy to find the Hero Killer, the pros would have done it by now," he commented.

It had been two days already since they began their search. So far, there had been no sightings again regarding the Hero Killer and any other villain activities have been halted. It was as if they were afraid with the Number Two Pro Hero around.

Ayame shrugged and straightened up, wet brown hair hanging on the pink towel around her neck. She unscrewed the bottle and took a huge swig, sighing in relief at the juice and tilted her head to Todoroki. It wasn't on purpose they had met up outside their hotel room. Ayame wanted to buy a drink and Todoroki wanted to get away from his father. Spending a whole day patrolling with him was vexing as it was.

"Are you avoiding your dad?" Ayame couldn't help but ask, looking over his casual white shirt he changed from his hero outfit. Even she had showered and wore a simple purple shirt for pajamas.

"I just needed a breather," Todoroki slowly moved his eyes away. The shirt was a slight low cut.

"Then, do you want to come to my room?" Ayame had asked without thinking, not completely comprehending the question.

Todoroki gave her a bewildered expression but based off the innocent eyes she gave him, he knew she thought nothing of it. _Shouldn't she be a little bit more on guard…_

"I brought a deck of cards," Ayame grinned, "Three players are more fun with any card games!"

She turned on her heels and began to lead the way back to the room. Todoroki looked over her and sighed mentally. If this was any school trip, they would be deeply reprimanded for her invitation. Ayame was really just…carefree. Does she even see him as a man?

"Yume-nee!" Ayame opened the door and held it open for Todoroki, "I brought a guest!"

"Hm?" Yume looked up from her tablet, also showered and changed into casual pajamas. "Oh, Todoroki-san. I'm sorry; did my sister drag you here?"

"Hey!"

"Ah, no," Todoroki replied politely. "She offered her assistance to me."

Yume hummed again, looking at Ayame with doubt and the younger girl crossed her arms. Ayame headed over to her bag and dug through the clothes before pulling out a blue colored deck of cards.

"C'mon! Let's play for a bit!" Ayame sat on her bed.

"You do know we have to wake up early tomorrow, right?" Yume arched an eyebrow.

"I know!" Ayame answered, "But—this will help us all unwind a bit! I feel like I was tensed the whole time."

"Oh, Aya," Yume sighed, "It's only been three days. How will you survive in the future?"

"I'll manage!"

Yume took a seat on the bed as well before two pairs of purple eyes turned his way. Slowly, Todoroki bowed politely and sat on the very edge of the bed while Ayame shuffled the deck.

And so, time passed by as they switched from one game to another. Usually, it was Ayame that was making a commotion to each game. Whether it was a game that required lying, both Yume and Todoroki was able to read her clearly. If it was a game based on luck, Ayame…surprisingly won the most.

It was simple but…enjoyable as Todoroki realized mid-game. He glanced up to see Ayame trying to swindle Yume with exaggerated movements and ridiculous stories as if she was in a RPG game. Yume pretended with her, thinking carefully about the cards in Ayame's hands and Todoroki realized the older sister was only playing along.

The two get along well. It was a relationship Todoroki never had before. He never spoke with his brothers and he rarely saw his sister. Even though they lived in the same compound, had grown up with the same father and mother, Todoroki never really sat down and interacted with them—like he was doing with Ayame and Yume.

Silently, he wondered if this was what it would be like—if his siblings had grown up with him—surrounded by loving parents that dote on them. Todoroki wondered if he would be able to laugh as joyously as Ayame or—have an older sibling dote on him like Yume.

"Ahhh, Yume-nee saw right through me," Ayame sighed in defeat before turning to Todoroki with a smile. She paused, recognizing a distant look in his eyes and leaned forward slightly. "Ne, Todoroki-kun? Are you tired?"

He blinked, mismatched eyes looking up again to see Ayame near him. The bed had sunk in slightly by her weight, causing Todoroki to slip just an inch towards her but—it was enough to snap him out of his thoughts. It was enough to bring him back to reality—away from the thoughts he had not toyed with for years.

"No," Todoroki looked away. "Thank you for inviting me, senpai." And he really meant it.

"Oh my," Yume glanced at the clock, "It's already this late… Todoroki-san, you should head off to bed."

"But we haven't finished the game—"

"Aya, walk him out," Yume smiled yet Ayame knew it was a tone that left none for discussion.

She sighed and Todoroki set down his cards. Together, they headed out the door that was just around the corner.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Todoroki-kun," Ayame smiled.

He nodded his head and opened the door, turning back to glance at his upperclassman.

"Goodnight, Ayame-senpai." He left with a whisper.

* * *

Ayame had been acting weird. Well, 'weird' for Ayame hadn't been that surprising but—for whatever reason, she had been spacing out a lot. It wasn't that noticeable compared to her regular self but because Yume was her sister, she can read through her habits completely.

Yume watched as Ayame was spacing out, for the 10th time that day, lost in thought and barely looking at where she was going. There was a moment where Ayame paused, shook her head repeatedly, put a hand to her chin while thinking, then nod—and shake her head again.

In the end, Ayame just groaned and sigh, leaving Yume absolutely amused at her little sister and want to know what was going on in her head. But, Ayame didn't mention anything and as night fell, they met up with Endeavor and Todoroki again. She greeted them with a slight smile and looked off to the side afterwards as they began to grab a quick dinner.

"Shoto."

Endeavor handed Todoroki a small plate of food yet the younger boy ignored him, buying his own (different) food to walk away from his father. Ayame blinked at their interaction, though not surprised as this had happened the past few days already, and Todoroki ended up sitting next to her and Yume. The sisters were close, as always, and Todoroki had usually joined them since Ayame invited him. Endeavor looked slightly put off but he came to them as well with two plates of food.

Ayame looked between the father-son pair and yet had nothing to say. One part of her understood Todoroki's attitude towards Endeavor yet another part of her couldn't help but imagine her own father receiving the cold treatment. Endeavor definitely deserved it but—Ayame swore she saw a flash of disappointment in the fiery hero's eyes whenever Todoroki ignored him.

She bit her lips and looked down. It wasn't her business anyways… She should have learned by now on not to interpose herself on other people's lives. Slowly, her eyes landed on Todoroki's calm appearance.

The whisper he left last night with the sound of her name replayed in her mind. She quickly looked down to focus on her hamburger and ignored the slight heat rushing to her cheeks. Why the hell should her name be embarrassing?! And—was it just her or—did he technically hint at her to call him by his name, too? Maybe she was just overthinking it?!

Yume glanced at her sister again and suppressed a laugh. _Aya…what faces are you making right now?_

After dinner, the four of them patrolled within the city. Night had fallen and the streets were bustling with people but, most of them had stepped to the side at the sight of Endeavor. Even Yume's gentle smiles could not deter the civilians and only a selected few were brave enough to wave. Ayame walked with Todoroki, looking around attentively for any sights of villains or the Hero Killer.

Suddenly, a loud crash and explosion came from the north. The four of them startled and a radio crackling echoed on Endeavor and Yume's belt. They brought up the communicator device and listened to the reports. Todoroki and Ayame looked at each other in shock—then to their family members.

"Villains have appeared in the city," Yume said seriously.

"Is it the Hero Killer?" Ayame gaped.

"No. He wouldn't create a huge scene like this. It doesn't matter," Endeavor turned around and began to run. Everyone followed him close behind. "Follow me, Shoto! I'll show you what it means to be a hero!"

"Ayame, stay close behind," Yume instructed as they ran forward.

At that time, her phone buzzed with a message. Ayame furrowed her eyebrows and brought the phone out the same time Todoroki did. The first thing they saw was Midoriya's message in the group chat but…it was only a location sent to them.

"Deku-kun?" Ayame mumbled to herself.

"It's just his location…" Todoroki's eyes widened.

"Shoto! Don't look at your phone, look at me!" Endeavor called back.

In a flash, Todoroki grabbed Ayame's hand and—ran. Ayame gasped, nearly dropped her phone in alarm but she turned around to follow Todoroki. Something—felt off.

"Ayame?!"

"Where are you going, Shoto?!"

"An alleyway at 4-2-10 Ekou Street. If you finish what you're doing or find any free pros, send them there. I'm leaving you to take care of the trouble. I'm sure you'll be able to resolve it quickly," Todoroki answered without looking back.

"I'll go with them," Yume ran as well.

"Todoroki-kun—do you think—something happened to Deku-kun?" Ayame asked, running beside him and glanced back to see her sister follow them.

"Maybe," he answered with a frown, "We're going to confirm."

"Un."

Crowds of people ran by them, screaming and shouting as they passed another major street. Ayame looked back to see—a weird Nomu-like creature—in the middle of the road. She gasped and stopped running, grabbing Todoroki by his arm to stop and point towards the monster.

"Isn't that—the Nomu?!" Ayame stared wide eyed at the creature.

"What…is that thing doing here?" Todoroki glared at the creature.

"Heroes—please, help!"

Yume stopped, her eyes widen at the rampaging creature, fire and broken pavement everywhere. She looked torn between the students and at the screaming civilians. Realizing what she was hesitant about, Ayame turned to her sister strongly.

"You have to go save them, Yume-nee!" Ayame let go of Todoroki's hand to push Yume in the Nomu's direction. "We fought against something similar to that before—and it's dangerous! You—if it's your Quirk—you can subdue it!"

Her sister was strong, she knew. If it was Yume's Dream Quirk, then Ayame believed she can accomplish anything. Protecting the civilians was a hero's top priority! She can't let her sister waver because of her!

"We'll be okay," Ayame assured again, smiling her usual carefree smile as she turned back to Todoroki. "I'll keep us safe!"

"…Alright," Yume looked serious in her direction, "I'll go to you as soon as I'm done."

With that, Yume headed off in the opposite direction. Before Todoroki began running again, Ayame grabbed his hand and summoned a large ookami. She hopped on and tilted her head in the boy's direction, waiting for him. With a hop, Todoroki wrapped one hand around her waist as she gripped the smoky trails tightly and—the wolf bolted forward.

"It's okay, she'll be okay," Ayame whispered to herself. "Yume-nee is a hero—this is what she deals with everyday."

Todoroki caught onto the miniscule trembling from Ayame's body, his grip around her waist tightened just the slightest. He leaned over her shoulder as the wolf continued to run.

"It'll be fine," he reaffirmed, "She's strong—just like you."

Ayame faced forward and nodded, silently thankful for the wind to cool her warm cheeks. Todoroki noticed the red ears but said nothing of it as he glanced at his phone and instructed Ayame on where to turn.

The area they arrived at were less crowded, no civilians around as they dashed closer to the location. There was a dark alleyway in front and with a gulp, the ookami dashed forward.

A small speck of a figure appeared to be standing, long blood-red scarf floating behind him. There was someone just right below his feet and a speck of green lying down behind. Wide lilac eyes focused in front to see a sharp sword pointed down—ready to pierce through the boy below him.

Ayame grabbed Todoroki's hand around her waist and they fell down from the ghostly ookami, leaving the wolf to charge straight at the strange man and—knocked him back.

"One after another…" The man slid to a stop and slashed its sword through the wolf, cutting it and causing it to disappear instantly. "There are a lot of people getting in my way today."

Ayame finally deciphered the figures. The green speck was Midoriya and the one lying face down was…Iida?! What was he doing here?!

"Midoriya. You need to give more details in times like this. You made me late," Todoroki stood back up, his feet shifting slightly in watchfulness.

"T-Todoroki-kun? And S-senpai?" Iida was shocked.

"Why…are you two here?" Midoriya gasped.

"Why? That's _my_ line," Todoroki frowned. "It took me a few seconds to figure out what you meant since you sent just your location info. You're not really one to send that for no reason."

"Are you guys okay?" Ayame stepped forward slowly, "Don't worry, we're here now!"

At that, ice spread forward from Todoroki to lift the Pro Hero Native, Midoriya, and Iida up. Ayame conjured two wolves and have them leap forward, keeping the other villain at bay. As she focused more on him, she couldn't help but shiver… This guy…looked dangerous.

"You meant that you were in trouble and to call for help, right? Don't worry. The pros will also get here in a few minutes," Todoroki ran forward as the ice allowed the immobilize people to slide down.

Ayame and Todoroki stood before the three fallen people protectively. This was definitely…more than what she expected. Her eyes focused forward again; there was no time for fear.

"You're…the Hero Killer, aren't you?" Ayame finally realized. The man was wrapped in bandages with a blood soaked scarf. He carried multiple knives and swords on him, masking up a fearsome villain image with just a glance.

"Senpai, Todoroki-kun, you can't let this guy see your blood! I think he controls his opponents' actions by ingesting their blood orally," Midoriya explained. "That's how he got all of us!"

Ayame shivered. Why was this about blood again!?

"He sucks blood to keep people from moving… That's why he uses blade, huh?" Todoroki examined. "We'll keep our distance and—"

A small blade flew forward and scratched Todoroki's cheek. Ayame's eyes widen as she turned to him—and then quickly shoving him out of the way right as Stain appeared before them. Stain swiped at her with a sword and Ayame quickly ducked to avoid the blade. They all looked up to see the katana flying up and—in her distraction, Stain got her.

"You have good friends, _Ingenium_!"

He grabbed Ayame with a start, a loud cry escaped from her lips as he slammed her head into the wall. She felt her brain rattle around as pain suddenly took over her whole body from the sudden attack.

"I normally don't kill girls but…you're in the way."

" _Ayame_!"

A burst of flame shot towards Stain right as he jumped away. Ayame fell down with a gasp. She gripped her right temple and winced; a warm wetness coated her palm and fingers and slid down her cheek. Her eyes widened at the fresh blood and looked up to see the flames dissipating.

 _He's…using his flames?_

Blocks of ice appeared in front of Ayame to protect her as she tried to focus back on the fight. Todoroki and Stain were battling yet the Hero Killer was strong enough to slice through his ice. With a hiss, Ayame summoned the kitsune and have it dash forward to assist Todoroki.

Stain was strong by himself. He was fast—faster than any of Ayame's classmates and was powerful. He was able to slice through the ice as if it was nothing—and he was not relenting against Ayame's summon, easily stabbing through them and causing it to disappear. Her head was hurting so much—and Ayame couldn't believe she got hurt already!

 _This isn't good_ , Ayame winced as she summoned another ookami. But this time, the wolf seemed more unstable, the smoky trails ghosting around more than usual.

"Why are you two…" Iida began, watching from his position on the floor to see Todoroki fight with both ice and fire. Ayame was leaning against the wall with a hand clutching her bleeding forehead, lilac eyes focused on Stain and one hand moving up to control the summon. "Why… Please, stop! I've inherited my brother's name. I have to do it… That guy's mine!"

 _Iida-kun…_ Ayame frowned.

"You inherited it? That's strange," Todoroki's flames dissipated and he slammed his hand down, a wall of ice appearing from the ground and forcing Stain to retreat. With the ice, the wolf jumped up and around it, chasing after the villain. "The Ingenium I saw before didn't have that look on his face, though. You've got a lot going on behind the scenes in your family, too, huh?"

"It's okay, Iida-kun," Ayame turned around to smile at him. "We're here now! You don't have to do this alone!"

Stain slashed through the blocks of ice and the wolf. Ayame moved to reconstruct the wolf into a tengu, chasing after Stain as he jumped forward.

"To block your own view against an opponent faster than you… What a foolish plan," Stain sneered.

"I wonder about that," Todoroki's left hand burst into flames again but—two knives were thrown to his arm and extinguished the flames.

"You're pretty good, too."

Ayame's eyes widened and ran forward, the tengu joined her hand and reconstructed to a serpent coiling around her arm. She punched Stain right before he can stab Todoroki—standing in front of him protectively.

"Stay away from them!"

Stain flew backwards and flipped midair, regaining his balance on the wall and then—ricocheted off to dash to her. Ayame blocked his sword with her serpent coiled arms, wincing at how he managed to cut into the serpent and—through her skin.

"You look like you're in pain, little girl," Stain scorned.

"Hah? I'm not little," the serpent grew and wrapped around Stain's arms, forcing the pressure to lessen from Ayame just the slightest. She turned to glance behind her, lilac eyes meeting heterochromia ones as she said, "R-run!"

"How can you tell others to run when you're hurting this much?" Stain sneered and pressed down on her arm.

Ayame screamed again, the serpent flickering but she held on. Her eyes returned back to bloodthirsty crimson ones, glaring back at him as the serpent slithered onto Stain's arms and leading to his torso.

"Because I'll hold you back!"

Their eyes widen by her declaration. Ayame was willing to sacrifice herself for them. But—that wasn't what they wanted! Trapped in place, a blur of green dashed past Ayame and slammed into Stain. Ayame gasped as the pressure from the sword disappeared, eyes looking towards Midoriya nearly glowing and—forcing Stain back.

"Deku-kun!"

"I can move normally for some reason now!" Midoriya shouted.

Todoroki appeared by her side while clutching his left arm. "A time limit?"

"No, that kid should've been the last one he got," Native responded from behind. "I can't move yet."

Stain elbowed Midoriya and he finally let go. Midoriya fell down while Stain jumped back.

"Get back, Midoriya!"

Ice rushed forward but Stain jumped away. Ayame conjured another tengu for aerial support while Midoriya ran back to their side. Stain clicked his tongue and—brought the bloodied sword up to his lips.

Ayame shivered from his Quirk and suddenly—she felt her knees buckle beneath her and—she lost her strength. Before she fell, Todoroki shifted his body so she leaned on him, gasping at the slight cold from his right side as he slowly set her down.

"M-my body—"

He eyed her bloody arm and temple, frowning at the sight of it before gently setting her down. Todoroki brushed back the tan fringes from the blood and angled her head so the injury wouldn't touch the ground.

"I know. We can handle this," he reassured.

But Ayame was supposed to be the one protecting them! She frowned from the unbearable pain, teary lilac eyes looked up at Todoroki slowly standing up in front of her bravely.

This wasn't supposed to happen!

"He takes in a person's blood to keep them from moving," Midoriya explained slowly, "Since I got free first… I can think of three possible reasons. It could be less effective with more people, the amount ingested could affect how long it works, or there could be a difference in effectiveness based on a person's blood type!"

"Blood type…? Mine is B…" Native answered.

"I'm type A…" Iida said.

"Mine is B as well," Ayame forced out to say.

"Blood type?" Stain grinned, "That's correct."

Ayame resisted the shiver from Stain. Midoriya…was really amazing too.

"I can't really do anything just by knowing his Quirk, though," Midoriya frowned.

"I wanted to hurry up and carry those three out of here, but he can react so fast, he can avoid ice and fire. I can't leave myself that open," Todoroki said. "I think our best option is to hold on by avoiding close combat until the pros get here."

Ayame cursed mentally. She didn't want to be a burden to them! Her eyes closed in concentration, trying to summon a giant creature. It would be easier if she can call upon that All Might but—Ayame couldn't even remember _how_ she did it! It was already difficult trying to concentrate with her injuries and headache so—she could only rely on what she summoned often.

"Don't worry about us!" Ayame's voice brought them to glance behind them. There, they saw the usual ookami circling the three of them protectively. "I can…still do this much…!"

A slight surprise flashed by their faces but quickly, they turned back to Stain. At least Ayame can still summon something but—how strong can it be?

"Todoroki-kun, you've already shed too much blood. I'll distract him, so you can support me from behind!" Midoriya began to glow again.

"That's a pretty big risk…but, yeah." Todoroki clenched his fists, "The two of us will protect them!"

 _Iida, I've been worried about you since your older brother was attacked because I know well the face of someone who would act on pent-up resentment…_ Todoroki sent ice after Midoriya dashing towards Stain. _I also know just how narrow the field of vision can get for someone like that._

Midoriya dashed around the narrow alleyway to throw Stain off then jumped down to punch him. However, Stain moved again, dodging right to slash at Midoriya. Todoroki's ice supported him then, blocking his movement before a wave of fire shot his way.

 _Damn it, he's slippery_ , Ayame glared at Stain dodging all of their attacks.

Midoriya slowed and Stain managed to leave a cut on his leg. She gasped as the villain jumped to Midoriya, looking absolutely thrilled and crazy to kill someone. Todoroki's flames stopped him again, forcing Stain back and Ayame wished she could just _move_!

"Please stop…"

They turned to glance at Iida's quiet voice. Ayame was startled by his tears, eyes widening by his shocking emotions.

"I'm…already…"

"If you want us to stop, then stand up!" Todoroki yelled.

Stain licked his blade again and Midoriya fell down. The villain jumped before Todoroki with the blades in hand and Todoroki pulled his arm back, bursting in flames. Ayame looked on worriedly and the ookami moved forward.

"Look properly at what you want to be!"

Todoroki was doing his best to keep Stain at bay by himself. Ayame was worried—anxious—and scared for Todoroki. The Hero Killer was able to dexterity dodge all of Todoroki's attack. No ice and no flames were able to brush upon him. Midoriya was immobile like them and—she knew her ookami wasn't as sturdy as before. It was even a miracle Ayame could keep its form with her bleeding head.

"No one's ever told you? You're too focused on your Quirk. You're being careless!" Stain laughed and—appeared right in front of Todoroki. The sword was positioned right in front of his chest—ready to slice him in half.

Ayame's eyes widened.

" _Shoto!_ "

* * *

 **A/N:**

Did you guys expect them to be interning together? Todoroki and Ayame have a lot more interactions now and we're finishing up season 2! I would not go in detail with 1-A's final exams like the end of the season but I will write a chapter dedicated to Ayame's final exam! That means…more original content for 2-A lol I hope it's not too boring for you all TvT

Reviews are much loved! I definitely need a pick-me-up but it's optional~ Thanks for reading!

Also, sorry for the late update! I was at a convention to attend the past weekend.


	17. Shoto

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

An engine roared next to her ear. Ayame's eyes widened when a blur sped past her—then to the villain and Todoroki's figure. The sword snapped in half and Todoroki was safe as she looked wide eyed on Iida's speedy figure. He kicked Stain away from Todoroki and landed on his feet, ready to fight.

"Iida-kun!" Midoriya and Ayame shouted in relief.

"You got free?" Todoroki asked. "That Quirk isn't as great as I thought.

"Senpai, Todoroki-kun, and Midoriya-kun. This has nothing to do with you three, and I apologize," Iida began shakily.

"You're saying that again?" Midoriya asked from his position a little further away.

"Iida-kun—we want to help," Ayame reassured from the floor as well. _But, I wish I could do more!_

"That's why I can't allow you three to bleed more than this!" Iida straightened up with a new resolve in his eyes. It was a surprised—but much welcomed. Iida doesn't have the same loathing tone in his voice anymore.

"It's no use trying to be reformed for appearance's sake," Stain's blade was broken in half, blood dripping from his hand as he faced the two standing heroes. "A person's essence does not change so easily. You will never be anything but a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires. You are a cancer to society that warps the idea of 'heroes'. Someone must set you straight."

"You're wrong!" Ayame shouted, "People are always constantly changing around us—but it's not up for you to decide on how they should or not!"

"You're an anachronistic fundamentalist," Todoroki argued back. "Iida, don't listen to the logic of a murderer."

"No, he's right."

They gaped at Iida's back, his left shoulder still dripping with blood as he looked down.

"I have no right to call myself a hero…"

What—why? Ayame may have arrived late to the scene but—she had a gist of the idea for Iida's torment. He…must have sought out Stain—because of his brother, right? Because Ingenium…couldn't be a hero anymore—then Iida was the one to inherit the name? In Ayame's eyes—what Iida did was understandable…

If she was in his shoes—if Yume was the one to be injured—Ayame definitely…wouldn't let the perpetrator go!

"Even so, I cannot give in. If I give in, then Ingenium will die."

Ayame looked at Iida in silent shock. He…wasn't fighting for revenge anymore. Somehow, Todoroki and Midoriya must have gotten into him. Iida looked as if he was fighting—to protect.

"Out of the question."

Stain ran forward and Todoroki shoved Iida aside, his left hand blazing with a large scale fire in the villain's direction."

"Idiot! The Hero Killer is after me and that kid in white armor, right? Don't fight back! It'd be better if you ran away!" Native said from besides her.

"What kind of hero would run away?!" Ayame gaped.

"It doesn't look like he'll give me an opening to do that," Todoroki scowled, "Something clearly changed just now. He's flustered."

Stain jumped off the wall and towards the ice. Todoroki shifted his feet and ice expanded his way, forcing stain to hack and slash away. Stain was trying to approach them but Todoroki continued to mix fire and ice together, leaving the villain to act recklessly.

Iida turned to Todoroki and asked to cool down his exhaust. In their direction, Stain threw a dagger towards Todoroki.

"Watch out!"

Iida blocked the blade with his own arm as it pierced his armor. Ayame gaped and tried to move but—her body was still immobile like Native. She cursed herself—how much longer until she can be free?!

 _Focus, focus_ , Ayame chanted, her vision beginning to blur before her. It was difficult to make out the shapes of their figures as Iida fell down. From the very corner of the alley, Ayame could almost see the blurred figure of Midoriya standing up again. _Damn it…they're all fighting so hard! I—have to do something, too!_

Stain was still fighting along the wall while Todoroki continued to blast fire and ice. Ayame's vision was getting worse as blood continued to leak from her temple. She looked up weakly—to see a bright light from Iida's engine before he burst forward—and up. From the side, Midoriya glowed a lightning green and rushed forward.

"If I just…"

The three met in midair with Stain in the middle. The villain looked flustered by the two quick oncoming attacks, looking between the two students in alarm.

"Go!" Todoroki looked on hopefully, Ayame's soft voice echoing his words.

"…have my leg…"

"…have my fist…"

"That's all I need right now!"

Iida kicked and Midoriya punched the other side of Stain.

 _They stopped him!_

The three of them began to fall and Todoroki's flames began to flare even more. Yet—Stain wasn't done when he grabbed the floating sword from midair—swinging at Iida's head and cut off—a few strands of hair.

"I will defeat you!" Iida declared. "This time, you, as a criminal—"

"Keep after him!" Todoroki yelled and shot his flamethrower upwards.

Iida's engine roared and he kicked Stain up.

"And I, as a hero!"

The flames engulfed Stain, leaving him motionless. Midoriya and Iida continued to fall but, Ayame had enough time for her ookami to run forward. The large wolf jumped up and caught the two boys right as ice appeared to line with the wall. The ookami slid down the ice slide and gently put the boys down.

"Stand up! He's still…" Todoroki warned.

Yet, Stain was not moving again. He was trapped and lifted by Todoroki's ice. Even his scarf was hanging downwards and they were barely able to tell if he was alive if not for the subtle rise and fall on his back.

"He's probably knocked out after all that…right?" Midoriya slowly stood up.

"Then, let's restrain him and get out of the street. Is there anything to tie him up with?" Todoroki instructed.

"Just in case, let's take all his weapons off him," Midoriya replied.

"Good idea."

Midoriya and Todoroki began to take out the blades from Stain's unconscious body. Within that time, Native was finally able to move again, struggling to stand up as he walked over to the only girl here.

"Hey—are you okay?" Native kneeled down to pat Ayame's back.

Todoroki looked over when Ayame didn't respond. He stood up, abandoning the rest of the task to rush over to the brunette. Her eyes were closed to the world, breathing soft and eyebrows creased in pain. Native quietly left the two, going to assist Iida in finding ropes to tie up Stain.

"Ayame," Todoroki whispered, his fingers brushed over her cheek, trailing upwards to swipe the bloody hair away from her forehead.

"Mm," Ayame weakly opened her eyes to see Todoroki before her. He was kneeled down by her side, eyes of grey and turquoise looking down at her with slight worry. She gave him a weak smile and closed her eyes again. "S-sorry… I'm…a bit, tired…"

Now that the threat of Stain was not prominent, Ayame finally felt herself relax. The last summon of her ookami took a lot of concentration. With her pounding head and Stain's Quirk slowly leaving her system, Ayame just felt worn.

"Ah," Todoroki let out a barely audible sigh. "Hang in there. I'll be done soon."

"Mm."

Todoroki bounded Stain's hands behind his back tightly along with his whole body. Native went over to the sitting Midoriya and hoisted him up onto his back.

"Native-san…you can move?" Midoriya asked dazedly.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," Native reassured. "You hurt your legs, right? Let me do this, at least."

"Th-thank you very much," Midoriya said.

"That's my line."

"That should secure it," Todoroki finished up the rope and stood up.

"Todoroki-kun, I'll pull it!" Iida insisted.

Todoroki moved to reject but paused, his eyes landing on the fallen Ayame from the side. Iida followed his eyes to see his upperclassman as well, both hesitant about the current situation. Iida's arms were injured from the continuous attack; he wouldn't be able to carry or drag anyone.

"Here," Midoriya turned around to smile at them. "I can help pull the rope, too."

Todoroki nodded his head and handed the rope off to Iida. As soon as the taller boy held it, Todoroki went over to Ayame again. Carefully, he shook Ayame, watching her stir from the movement and familiar lilac eyes opened to greet him.

"I'm going to lift you onto my back," Todoroki carefully explained, watching her hazy eyes follow his lips.

"Okay," Ayame smiled faintly, "I trust you."

His hand twitched.

Slowly, Todoroki helped Ayame to sit up. Her hands were on his shoulders as he turned around, giving her strength to lean forward on his back. A small whimper left her lips at the cut over her right arm; the blood clouded over and around the injury, making it hard to determine how deep it was. Todoroki frowned again, averting his eyes away from the blood and hooked his hands under her thighs.

Ayame rested her head on his shoulder, eyes closing again for rest as Todoroki carefully adjusted her weight. She wasn't particularly heavy but she also wasn't paper thin light. It felt—just right.

"Oi, don't fall asleep yet," despite his words, Todoroki's tone felt soft.

"I'm…not," Ayame answered, her voice right next to his ear.

Todoroki tensed again but continued to walk behind the rest of the group. Midoriya and Iida glanced back to affirm their status, sharing one look with each other before looking back front. They quietly discussed the recent fight amongst themselves, silently thankful for the Hero Killer's blunder of attacks. Even then, they knew they had barely won.

"…sorry."

Todoroki turned his head just the slightest, feeling the meek mumble come from his shoulder. He walked just a step slower as the others continued to the street.

"I…didn't…do anything, again…" Ayame murmured, her cheek nearly touching his ear. "I…was supposed…to protect you."

But, again, Ayame couldn't. Just like USJ and—now. Todoroki had been the one to rescue her. He had been the one to battle from the beginning to end. What was the point of her winning the Sports Festival when—she's still as weak as before?

"You did, Ayame," Todoroki answered back steadily. Again, she was blaming herself for a situation beyond her control. "I don't need the constant protection."

Ah, maybe she really was too weak for her underclassmen to doubt her. Todoroki has always been strong by himself. He didn't need any protection from her in the first place.

Then...what about her win in the Sports Festival? Fighting against classmates was infinitely different from fighting a real villain—with the intent to kill. How will she get stronger at this rate?

"What I mean is," sensing her disquiet mood, Todoroki quickly moved to explain, "I can…protect you, too."

Her eyes slowly opened; his face just centimeters from hers. If Ayame was more lucid, she would have reacted more than a slow blink. Instead, she smiled and tilted her head towards him just the slightest.

"Mm, thanks…Shoto-kun."

He felt her relax into his arms yet Todoroki felt tenser. With just one word, one name, Ayame was able to break through his guard. She was doing odd things to his stomach and calm facade. Although Todoroki initially had lightly teased her on their names before, he wasn't expecting _this_ reaction.

And this girl…she's still sleeping peacefully on him. Kirishima had also carried her on his back before. She had seen that Shimizu heir shirtless. And—how was Takarada also able to flip her so easily during their match?

Does Ayame _not_ know to be cautious around guys?

So absorbed in his thoughts, they hadn't noticed Gran Torino appearing to reprimand Midoriya. Todoroki had caught up with the rest of the group, mismatched eyes seeing a small group of heroes rush over. From the distance, he recognized the dark brunette hair of LullaCry running over; her eyes were focused on the girl on his back.

"Ayame!"

Ayame stirred again yet had no strength to raise her head. Her eyes peeked open to her sister and smiled weakly.

"Hey, nee-chan," she greeted casually.

Yume gaped at the blood. On Ayame's temple—on her right arm—and she couldn't believe her sister was this hurt—when she was gone—for barely ten minutes! The Nomu had taken more energy out of Yume than anticipated. The weird creature—was barely affected by her Dream Quirk. It was like his consciousness was too unfocused for her Quirk to take effect.

It was at times like these; Yume wished her Quirk was stronger, too.

"What happened?" Yume looked at Todoroki sternly. The boy looked off to the side, eyes landing to the tied up Hero Killer and Yume understood with a glance. They had somehow—unexpectedly—ran into the Hero Killer. Was that why they ran off earlier?!

"Not…his fault," Ayame whispered again, head knocking into Todoroki's as she struggled to stay awake, "My bad."

Yume looked like she wanted to argue but held back, staring at the blood trail slowly dripping from Ayame. Todoroki met violet eyes then, not backing down from her hard stare at Ayame.

"Senpai did what she can to protect m—us. If you are going to scold her then, please include me too," Todoroki bowed his head.

At that time, Midoriya and Iida walked to stand besides Todoroki. Both also bowed their head despite their injuries, startling Yume at the three 1-A boys.

"It was my own problems that dragged everyone into this. Please do not be angry at Ayame-senpai!" Iida begged.

"The ambulance will be here soon," Midoriya shyly looked up, "Senpai will be okay!"

Yume blinked at all three of them, slowly easing her shoulders and sighed instead. These kids… Have they always been this reckless?

"Aya, you have such good kouhais," Yume shook her head. She let out a helpless smile and that was enough for the boys to know Yume was not truly mad. The older sister looked at Todoroki expectantly and held out her hands, ready to accept Ayame.

Todoroki blinked and paused. It took him one second longer than necessary to understand what Yume meant but—that one second did not pass by Yume's eyes. She watched as he carefully shifted his position so Ayame can rest on Yume's back instead. Ayame stirred, lilac eyes opening briefly again to see the exchange before closing her eyes again.

"'m tired, nee-chan," Ayame whispered drowsily.

"I know, Aya," Yume comforted, "It's okay. It looks worse than it appears…you'll be okay."

At that, everyone let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. Knowing their upperclassman was going to be alright had eased their minds. Slowly, Iida turned to Todoroki and Midoriya again, bowing at the waist to apologize.

"You were all injured because of me. I am truly sorry," tears weld up in Iida's eyes as he looked at the blurry concrete. Because of his vengeance, he dragged everyone into it, nearly causing them to be killed in the process. "I couldn't…see anything…through my anger."

They were quiet, hearing the strangled sobs from Iida. Midoriya moved to speak yet before he can, a hand reached out to pat Iida's head. They froze and looked at the still tired Ayame, her unhurt hand rubbing Iida's dark hair lightly.

"Silly, Iida-kun," Ayame said quietly but couldn't follow up anymore. Her hand dropped from his head, eyes closed but silently listening.

"I am sorry, too," Midoriya followed up. "Even though you were feeling so cornered, I didn't notice at all. Even though we're friends…"

"Pull yourself together. You're the class rep, right?" Todoroki said.

"Un," Iida bit back another sob and wiped his tears.

No one interrupted their little moment and it finally felt like they have a moment of peace.

But whenever they felt the calm after the storm, they forget the aftermath of the destruction.

A high pitched screech reached their ears, powerful flapping sounds directly above them.

"Get down!" Gran Torino shouted at the sight of a bleeding flying creature dive down.

"A villain?!"

It reached down to grab two figures easiest to reach. Midoriya felt his feet lift off the ground, emerald eyes widen in alarm as he saw the ground getting farther away. Ayame gasped from the sudden jolt, her hand reached down and felt—a pair of hands grab onto her uninjured arm. She opened her eyes just in time to see Todoroki pull her away from the flying Nomu's grasp, her cape was ripped from her neck by the sudden save.

"Sho—"

Ayame crashed into Todoroki and they fell down on the ground together. He ended up being the cushion for her and Ayame groaned from the movement, feeling her head rattle even more in pain. She felt a slight ache around her waist, barely registering the hands he wrapped around her body for protection, and leaned against him.

"Hey!"

"Midoriya-kun!" Iida yelled.

"There's blood! Did he escape here after being beaten?"

Seeing that her sister was fine, Yume chased after the flying creature. She got the lasso from her waist and threw it—aiming for the legs or wings or even the boy! But the gust of wind from the Nomu sent the whip flying back uselessly.

The creature suddenly screamed and lost flight. Right before all of their eyes, a dark blur of red and black dashed forward to jump and stab at the Nomu.

"This society overgrown with fake heroes…and the criminals who wave their power around idly…"

The creature fell down with blood splattering everywhere. Stain ripped Midoriya out of the Nomu's grasp before twisting the knife into the creature's brain.

"…should all be purged."

Everyone was frozen as they saw Stain ruthlessly murder the creature. Even with all of his injuries—Stain still fought against the Nomu.

"…to create a more just society."

They could feel the resentment and determination from the Hero Killer as he shakily stood up. Ayame could barely hear the exchange yet—she felt herself shiver from the pure bloodlust. Todoroki could do nothing but hold on, his heterochromia eyes watching him for any sudden movement. Against this many heroes—they should all have a chance—right?!

"He saved the boy?!"

"Idiot, he took a hostage!"

"He killed someone with no hesitation…"

"Anyway, get ready to fight for now!"

Ayame peek one lilac eye out at Midoriya. Her heart was a jumbling mess with worry at a hostage situation, mumbling a quiet 'Deku-kun' yet could not do anymore. She really hated being this weak right now…!

"Let him go, Stain," Yume walked bravely forward, her Quirk was ready to activate any moment now.

"Lul…la…Cry," Stain eerily croaked out, "You…are a hero…I want to avoid. But—I will kill you—too!"

Ayame tensed and attempted to move but Todoroki's strong hold wouldn't let up. She could only watch her sister stand before all of them, her hand clenching around the whip tightly.

"I don't…need my eyes…to fight—you!"

At that, Stain closed his to prevent her Quirk from taking effect. Yume startled yet scowled, knowing that the easy way to end this would not be effective.

"What's everyone standing around for?"

Todoroki glanced back to see his flaming father approach them. He could feel himself relax just the slightest. Even if he was a terrible father—he was still the Number Two Hero. He will be able to handle the Hero Killer.

"Endeavor…" Stain growled out. The bandages around his fell down and Endeavor looked nearly…excited to fight.

"Endeavor-san—wait!" Yume called out.

Stain finally let go of Midoriya to be left on the ground before turning to all of them. Without his bandages on, everyone could see the hatred he felt towards all of them. Drool was leaking from the side of his mouth, dozens of wrinkles appeared to crease over his brow and—crimson red eyes were glaring at all of them.

"You fake…"

A blood red moon hung behind him. Even Todoroki could feel the bloodlust and will from the Hero Killer as he stared at them with glowing red eyes.

"I must make things right… Someone must be dyed in blood…!"

Even with all the heroes gathered around, no one was able to step forward to meet Stain. They could feel their blood freeze from his intimidation, a chill going down their spine and expanding to their whole body by his glowing eyes.

"I must take back what it means to be a hero!" Stain stomped his foot down. "Come! Try and get me, you fakes!"

Even Endeavor could not help but take a step backwards.

"The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero… All Might!"

Stain's declaration mixed with his eerie magnetism had instilled fear into the heroes. They could do nothing but watch him slowly make his way towards them—like a walking corpse that could not be stopped. Even Yume could not activate her Quirk when faced against him and Ayame could do nothing but grip the front of Todoroki's shirt tightly.

A sudden ring clattered to the ground. Everyone snapped out of their frozen state as they saw the steel blade land on the floor. Stain had stopped moving, pupil-less eyes looking straight ahead without falling down.

"He's…unconscious," Endeavor said slowly.

Iida fell down right next to Todoroki; neither boys were able to move again after the intimidation. Midoriya looked on with the same frozen expression and Yume slumped down. Unable to hold on any longer, Ayame fainted.

* * *

Ayame woke up with a pounding headache. A small whimper left her lips by the pain, her eyebrows furrowing and eyelids slowly opening. Ayame attempted to move her arm as she was unable to recognize the dark surrounding, slowly feeling a slight panic within.

Where was she?

"You're awake?"

She turned her head to the side, blinking at an adjacent bed next to her. Todoroki sat up from his bed and Ayame recognized the light blue hospital garb he wore. She blinked slowly as he took three steps to her, kneeling down to observe her reaction.

"Todo…roki-kun?" Ayame asked in a daze, "What happened?"

He resisted the urge to frown. She switched names again? Wait, no, that shouldn't bother him right now.

"What do you remember?" He asked softly.

Ayame sighed and closed her eyes. Knowing that Todoroki was here meant that they had survived the night. Even though her memories were a bit fuzzy right now, Ayame knew they were not in danger.

"Met up with Yume-nee and other heroes… Stain…rescuing Deku-kun?" Ayame opened her eyes again to look towards him. "That's all."

"The ambulance and police came afterwards," Todoroki explained from there. "We received treatment for our injuries. Iida and Midoriya are also here."

At that, Ayame struggled to sit up. Todoroki quickly helped her, putting a pillow behind her back for rest and she smiled at him thankfully. Now that she was sitting up, she saw two beds on the opposite side of them. Midoriya and Iida were lying down for rest. The window on their right side illuminated the dark sky and Ayame realized it was still the odd hours at night.

"Oops," Ayame covered her mouth. "Did I wake you?"

Todoroki shook his head. "Couldn't sleep."

His mismatched eyes turned to her then, seeing the bandages wrapped around her head and over her right arm. Ayame also noticed his injuries but—it seemed like light bandages rather than a severe injury. She was secretly thankful for that as she glanced down, also noting her own bandages.

"You should rest," Todoroki advised.

He remembered what the doctors had said after bringing the fainted girl in. They were lightly scolding Ayame for not resting earlier. Due to her mild concussion, it would have been fine for the girl to sleep as she experienced no other side effects besides drowsiness and confusion. But, she held on longer than expected...though with everything happening around her, Todoroki didn't blame her for not being able to rest peacefully. Maybe Stain did hold back when fighting against her…

"Mm," she agreed quietly. Ayame did feel tired but at least she was conscious again. The only issue was that…Ayame disliked sleeping in unfamiliar places. It was fine when she had Yume as a roommate and she knew a hospital was safe but… "W-when will you guys discharge?"

Todoroki blinked at the sudden question. Ayame meekly looked down onto the bed sheets, avoiding his eyes.

"Not sure," after all, they were just admitted in the hospital that night. Sensing something wrong yet could not discern what, Todoroki continued, "…maybe in a day or two. I doubt we'll be going anywhere soon."

At that, Ayame let out a barely audible sigh. She nodded her head and slowly scooted back in bed. Todoroki once again readjusted the pillow for her and Ayame pulled up her comforter.

"Try to rest, too, Todoroki-kun," Ayame whispered.

"Ah."

Todoroki walked back to his own bed a few feet away. He glanced at Ayame again—to see her curled up within herself, facing him. Loose brown hair had fallen over her cheeks, breathing soft and lips slightly parted. She was definitely more tired than she let on but…she only relaxed after seeing him—them safe.

He lied back on the bed, his head tilted slightly to her. After a few more minutes, Todoroki also fell asleep.

* * *

The next time Ayame woke up, there was light chattering around her. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, seeing the white ceiling of the hospital first before turning her head to the right. Todoroki was sitting on the side of his bed facing Ayame, noticing her awake first before standing up to go to her. Midoriya and Iida looked over from their beds on the other side.

"Morning," Ayame smiled and pushed herself up. For a split second, she looked down quickly to make sure her appearance was suitable, and then ran her fingers through her hair quickly. She still looks decent—right?!

"How are you feeling, senpai?" Midoriya asked with worry, wide eyes looking at her from across.

"Mm, better." Todoroki went to prop up her pillow like the night before and Ayame gave him a grateful smile. Midoriya again gave them a silent glance and, smiled to himself. "Did you guys sleep well?"

"Not really," Midoriya laughed sheepishly. "Thinking about it now…we did something amazing, huh?"

"Yeah," Todoroki agreed quietly and took the seat at the corner of Ayame's bed.

"Seeing an ending like that really makes you feel like it's a miracle we're alive," Midoriya sighed.

"You guys are seriously so strong," Ayame leaned back on her pillow, "How can I show off now?"

Midoriya smiled at the small pout on her lips, the tension easing up just the slightest with Ayame awake. Todoroki only glanced at her, the corner of his lips pulled up once before it disappeared just as fast.

"But…I think…he probably could've killed us if he'd wanted to. With my leg like this…" Midoriya trailed off.

"Yeah," Todoroki glanced at his left arm, "We were obviously left alive on purpose. You're amazing to have been able to face him after all the murderous intent directed at you, Iida."

"No, that's not it," Iida looked down. "I…"

"Oh, are you wounded kids awake?"

All four of them turned towards the door. Gran Torino walked in with Manual as the students exclaimed their name. Behind, Yume followed right after and she approached Ayame quickly, glancing at the boy sitting on her bed before turning her attention back to her sister.

"Yume-nee?" Ayame blinked.

"Hey," Yume sat on the other side of the bed, her hand reached up to pat Ayame's head. "We need to have a little talk about last night."

"H-huh?!" Ayame gaped as Yume stroke her head—then her fingers fell down to pinch her ear lightly.

"But before that, you've got a visitor," Gran Torino stared at Midoriya. At that queue, a tall man-dog in a tailored suit walked in. "Hosu's chief of police, Tsuragamae Kenji."

 _C-chief of police?!_ Ayame startled. She tried to get up along with the rest of the students but Tsuragamae assured them to stay seated.

"You must be the U.A. students who brought down the Hero Killer, right?"

"Yes," Todoroki answered politely.

"Regarding the Hero Killer we arrested… He had fairly serious injuries, with burns and broken bones, and is receiving treatment under strict guard, woof," Tsuragamae began to explain. "Since you are U.A. students, I'm sure you already know that when superpowers were still becoming the norm, the police attached high importance to leadership and standards and made sure Quirks were not used as weapons. And then, the profession of 'hero' emerged to fill that gap, woof."

Ah, Ayame remembered something like that. She had been tested in school for it too.

"For an individual's use of force and power that can easily kill others—actions that normally would be appropriate to denounce—to be accepted officially is thanks to early heroes who followed the ethics and rules of the profession, woof. Even up against the Hero Killer, for uncertified individuals to cause injury with their Quirks without specific instruction from their guardians or supervisors is a clear violation of the rules." He continued to explain without stop, "The four of you, and the Pro Heroes Endeavor, LullaCry, Manual, and Gran Torino must receive strict punishment."

Ayame gaped and turned to her sister seriously. Yume was not looking at her as she was facing Tsuragamae with respect.

"Wait a minute," Todoroki spoke up from besides her. "If Iida hadn't done anything, Native would've been killed. If Midoriya hadn't come, the two of them would've been killed. If Ayame-senpai hadn't helped, then I would've been killed. No one realized that the Hero Killer had appeared. Are you saying we should've followed the rules and watched people get _killed_?"

Todoroki took an angry step forward and Ayame gaped, quickly reaching out to grasp his hand. Wait—he's getting upset for the right reason but—this was the chief of police here! Todoroki paused and looked at her, a frown on his face but he didn't move again.

"Are you saying that as long as it turns out all right, it's okay to bend the rules?" Tsuragamae was unfazed by his mood.

"Isn't it a hero's job to save people?" Todoroki sneered. Ayame squeezed his hand; a silent message for him to _don't do anything reckless!_

"That is why you are not a full-fledged hero yet. Goodness, what are you being taught by U.A. and Endeavor?" Tsuragamae quietly criticized.

"Wait—that's not—!"

"Ayame," Yume quickly scolded and Ayame bit her tongue.

"You dog!" Todoroki moved to walk forward but Ayame held on tighter. His mismatched eyes looked down to see her hold on him but Ayame wouldn't relent, lilac eyes warning him to wait.

"Stop it. He is absolutely right," Iida tried to voice out.

"Hear him out until the end, Todoroki-san," Yume instructed calmly.

Todoroki stopped struggling yet his eyes were still glaring at the police. The hand Ayame held tightened around hers with restrained anger. Ayame didn't let go yet, worried he might slip away if she did, and everyone's attention turned back to the chief.

"That was the official opinion of the police," Tsuragamae continued as if nothing happened, "And the punishment and such would only happen if this were all made public, woof. If this were made public, you would probably be applauded by the public, but you would not be able to escape punishment. On the other hand, this is a bit underhanded, but if it is not made public, the burn scars would support Endeavor being the hero who saved the day, and it would end there, woof. Thankfully, there were very few witnesses. This violation could be crushed here, woof. But this would also mean no one would know about your good judgment or achievements. Which do you prefer?"

Everyone quietly looked on as the information settled in. This news hadn't made to the public yet and—they were trying to defend them? Wait—then what was the point in all of this? Was he trying to scare them?!

"Personally, I don't want to be the one to find fault with promising young ones because of one big mistake, woof." At that, Tsuragamae finally smiled and gave them a thumb up.

"Either way, we will need to take responsibility for being negligent in our supervisory duties," Manual sighed sadly now that the tension was gone.

Iida walked up to him, bowing at the waist to his supervisor. "I am truly sorry."

"Alright!" Manual jokingly chopped Iida's head, "You'll cause trouble for others! If you understand, then don't do it again!"

"I won't!"

"I-I'm sorry," Midoriya bowed his head.

"Please take care of it," Todoroki also bowed his head.

"S-sorry," Ayame followed along, both towards Yume and the chief.

"Because of the unfairness of adults, you will not be able to receive the praise you would probably have gotten, but at least, as someone who also protects the peace, I can say thank you." Tsuragamae bowed in return.

They were startled to have the chief of police personally thank them. Todoroki looked off to the side awkwardly.

"Please start with that next time," he mumbled.

Ayame giggle and patted his hand before letting go. Tsuragamae left after his explanation and the pro heroes stayed a little longer for the students. Ayame shakily turned to Yume; she was gonna get an earful, wasn't she?

"Okaa-san and otou-san knows, if that was what you're wondering," Yume began and Ayame gulped. "Shouta-ojisan also knows. They're currently busy; otherwise, they would have visited you by now."

"Oji-san, too?!" Ayame gaped; that was who she wanted the _least_ to know!

"Of course," Yume said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Considering how often kaa-san calls him, oji-san would be the first to know." Yume pulled out her phone and swiped through it, turning the device around to show Ayame a picture on screen.

It was a news article with a slightly faded photo from last night showing Stain apprehended. In the very corner, there was a cropped out section of the other pro heroes and students… Ayame was held in Todoroki's arms, long strands of brown hair falling over her face and back. Although the portion of them was very tiny and barely recognizable, anyone who knew them would be able to tell.

"And, this was the first article to popup before it was taken down an hour later," Yume said, "For the sake of the student's identity. Now, what was the thing you promised me before your internship started?"

Ayame sweated and looked off to the side awkwardly. "T-technically, I didn't _promise_ anything."

"A-ya-me," Yume pronounced her name fully, "They made a new rule for me because of this. I can't take in any family members for internship in the future."

Ayame gaped, "Wha—nee-chan?! Why?!"

"Because I am too lenient with you, apparently," Yume poked her forehead, careful to not wound her, and Ayame pouted. "The doctors said you can be released tomorrow but I put in words to U.A. you will stay home to rest. I don't want you to strain yourself because of your head injury, okay?"

"Okaa-san is gonna be mad, won't she?" Ayame groaned.

"Not as mad as Shouta-oji," Yume smiled, "I have to return to work now. I'll come discharge you tomorrow but will you be able to make it home yourself?"

"I'm already better now," Ayame defended, "I can get home fine!"

"Alright," Yume smiled and stood up. She turned her attention to the rest of the students each resting on their own beds. Only Todoroki was without a pro hero by his side. "Everyone, rest well. Todoroki-san, Endeavor-san won't say it but, he's proud of you, too."

Todoroki glanced at her, slightly surprised she even mentioned his father and nodded his head. With another wave, Yume left the hospital. Manual left soon afterwards and after a few more scolding from Gran Torino, the elder also left.

A ringtone set off in the room and Midoriya turned to his phone. A sudden blush spread over his cheeks then face, at the caller ID before hastily heading out the door.

"I-I-I um, I-I'll be—back!"

Todoroki silently looked after him, then towards the brunette looking through her phone at the mass messages. The heterochromia boy got up and followed Midoriya out.

"I'll be back, too."

Ayame blinked; why did it sound like he's saying that to her?

It was quiet now. Ayame finished replying to her friends and set her phone aside, glancing at Iida and how he was quietly sitting on his bed. Carefully, Ayame swung her legs over the bed and stood up, slipping on the blue hospital slippers and walked over to him.

"S-senpai?" Iida looked up to see Ayame sit on the corner of his bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm…fine," Iida looked down onto his bandaged arms. "The pain killers help put the edge off."

At his weak smile, Ayame sighed and leaned back lightly. Her eyes were focused on the ceiling as she contemplated last night. Now that she was clear headed again, little bits and pieces were coming back to her.

"I don't blame you for what happened, you know," Ayame started, "Seeking revenge for your brother… I've been thinking about it the whole internship, too. I kept thinking…if Yume-nee was the one injured, I would have done what you did."

Iida looked shocked when Ayame turned to him with the confession. She still had her usual smile on, reassuring and kind as she recalled Stain's words in reprimanding Iida and his justice.

"I mean—I'm not happy your brother got hurt—" Ayame quickly explained, "But I—understand your reasoning for it… I hope—you won't be hung up on what Stain said."

He smiled a little to himself, looking down and away from the comfort his upperclassman was trying to provide. He does believe Ayame would understand him the best in this room. She loves her sister as much as Iida loves Tensei.

"He…was right, though," Iida admitted softly, "I inherited my brother's name and yet, the first thing I did was sully it. But—I will change. I won't fight for myself. I'll fight to protect."

Ayame smiled at his resolved, nodding her head in approval. Maybe she was childish, too, for thinking about revenge. Being a hero was so much more than apprehending villains. It was their duty to keep civilians safe.

"If you ever need to talk, we'll be here," Ayame motioned towards herself and the two empty beds, "And—Hotaru-chan, too!"

Iida startled by the sudden name and Ayame grinned. Before she can tease him anymore, the door opened to reveal a doctor and nurse walking in.

"Iida Tenya-san," the doctor smiled in greeting, "I am here for your examination."

At that, Ayame quickly hopped off the bed. "Oh! I should probably go."

"It's alright, senpai. You should rest," Iida reassured.

"We can pull the curtain around him," the doctor nodded towards the curtain and the nurse moved to close it. Ayame returned back to her bed and watched as the curtain close before going back on her phone.

* * *

"Midoriya."

Midoriya ended the phone call with Ochako and turned back to see Todoroki waiting for him. He gaped, wondering how long he had been waiting there and still trying to calm the nerves from speaking with Ochako.

"Y-yes?"

Todoroki stayed silently for a moment, glancing out the window as a few other patients and guests walked around.

"I understand if it is a little late in asking," Todoroki said steadily, one grey eye glanced towards him, "But…may I ask, what did Ayame-senpai say to my old man?"

Midoriya blinked, and blinked again. He rubbed his ears, thinking that he misheard, but Todoroki's straightforward face was still the same. Midoriya gaped.

"If you don't remember, that's fine," Todoroki moved to turn away.

No, Midoriya definitely remembers.

"' _Todoroki Shoto is his own person'_ ," Todoroki paused and glanced back to see Midoriya smile lightly, " _'He is not a creation. In the future, he will surpass All Might but not because of you'_. That is what senpai said to Endeavor."

Todoroki was startled. Although his reaction was subtle and not over the top, Midoriya can catch onto his widen eyes as he mulled over what Ayame had said. The boy smiled to himself as he remembered the concern Todoroki had showed towards their upperclassman and the gradual change within him. Todoroki was always by Ayame's side looking out for her.

"I don't think…Ayame-senpai knew I was there during her outburst. Afterwards, she found me and wanted me to 'beat some sense' into you, her words exactly," Midoriya laughed.

Even back then, Ayame had always been looking out for them… But…Midoriya wondered if there was more between these two…than what they would say out loud. The not-so-subtle glances they give each other…the little smiles between them… Midoriya remember seeing Ayame and Todoroki to have somehow ended up interning together, too. Maybe these two had gotten closer before any of them realized it.

"I'm glad…she was the one chosen as our senpai," Midoriya admitted softly.

Todoroki slowly calmed down, his eyes looked down to the hand she held before. A miniscule smile appeared as he nodded his head.

"Yeah."

When they returned to their resting rooms, Ayame and Iida were each sitting on their own beds. However, the brunette had a worried expression on her face as she looked at Iida's form. Todoroki paused for a moment as his eyes scanned her over, then to Iida.

"Oh, Iida-kun, just now, Uraraka-san said…" But Midoriya did not catch onto the mood.

"Deku-kun," Ayame smiled helplessly, "Iida-kun just finished getting examined."

She was trying to mind her business as the doctor went over his injury but—it was hard to not eavesdrop when they were in the same room.

"My left hand might have long-term damage…" Iida was the one to tell them. Both Midoriya and Todoroki looked shocked by the result, staring at the largely bandaged arms. "Both of my arms were pretty beat up, but it looks like the damage to my left arm was especially severe. There was damage to my brachial plexus. But it just means that I'll have trouble moving my hand and fingers and experience some numbness. Apparently, there's a possibility that it can be healed with nerve transplant surgery."

Iida had explained lightly yet everyone could feel his disappointment behind the words. Ayame had listened when the doctor explained it to Iida but even afterwards, she didn't know what to say to him.

"When I found the Hero Killer, I stopped being able to think. The first thing I should've done was tell Manual-san. But I forgot myself in my anger," Iida looked at his arms. "I hate him, but he spoke the truth. That's why…until I become a true hero, I think I want to leave my left hand as it is."

"Iida…" Todoroki said quietly.

 _Back then, if I had been more empathetic…_ Midoriya gasped. _No, stop it. Iida-kun's already accepted it. It would be rude of me to apologize._

"Iida-kun, I feel the same way," Midoriya held out his right hand and clenched it into a fist. "Let's become stronger…together."

"Deku-kun…" Ayame whispered.

Midoriya and Iida nodded their heads. Ayame smiled from the side yet Todoroki looked daze.

"I feel…kind of bad…"

The three of them turned to Todoroki with a confused expression.

"What for?" Ayame tilted her head.

"I feel like if I get involved…other people mess up their hands…" Todoroki stared at his right hand, sweat appearing on his forehead. "Is it…a curse?"

Ayame, Midoriya, and Iida gaped. And then suddenly, all three of them burst out laughing. Because Todoroki had said it in such a serious face and tone—they couldn't believe he would joke around like this!

"Todoroki-kun, I didn't know you could make jokes!" Midoriya laughed.

"No, I'm not joking," Todoroki tried to face them seriously, "I'm like 'The Hand Crusher' or something."

"The Hand Crusher?!"

Ayame clutched her stomach, falling onto her bed with laughter. Midoriya and Iida were laughing loudly as well, all forgetting the tense fight they have survived through. Todoroki frowned; all of their arms were injured one way or another.

He walked over to Ayame and pulled her up by her uninjured arm. "I'm serious."

"I know!" Ayame laughed and raised their joined hands together, "H-hand Crusher—ahah! If that really was true, mine would have been crushed long ago."

Todoroki blinked at their hands before looking off to the side. If Ayame was paying more attention, she would have noticed the light pink dusted over his cheeks. Instead, she was still laughing along with the other two boys.

* * *

That night, Iida's mother came to pick him up to recover at home. Iida looked fine as he changed back into his school uniform. The bandages wrapped around his arms were not as bulky anymore. He gave them another bow and left; all three of them watching him walk away with his mother.

As Ayame returned back to her bed, her phone began to ring. She blinked and saw the caller ID as her mother, quickly answering the phone without hesitation.

"Hello?"

" _Ayame_!" Shiko's voice rang out from her end, " _How are you? How do you feel?_ "

" _Onee-chan!_ " Suzume's voice echoed in the background, " _I want to talk to Aya-neechan too!_ "

" _In a second, alright, Suzu? Shouta-oji needs to talk to her first_."

Ayame froze and pulled her phone away from her ear, gaping at the voice that just spoken. Aizawa was there too?!

" _I know you're there, Ayame,_ " Aizawa glowered from the phone.

"S-S-Sh-Sho—" Todoroki glanced at her quietly. Ayame continued her nervous greeting, oblivious to everything else. "Shouta-oji! W-what a surprise!"

" _I'm sure it is_ ," Aizawa droned on, " _I thought Yume would take care of you but what do I hear about you running off on your own?_ "

"I-I-I—" Ayame sweated, "Th-there was an emergency—and some things happened—b-but it's all taken care of now!"

" _Hm_."

Ayame looked at the ceiling helplessly. It wasn't like she _wanted_ to get hurt, either! She just wanted to protect the others!

" _I heard Yume got in trouble, too,_ " Shiko sighed from the other side, " _Are you giving your sister problems?_ "

Ayame flinched and looked back down. It wasn't on purpose!

"S-sorry…"

Aizawa sighed again, his tone softer as he took over the phone. " _I'm glad you're alright, kid. Take care of yourself._ "

"Un."

" _Onee-chan?_ "

The brunette finally smiled at her sister's voice and got up from the bed. She waved briefly to the two boys trying not to eavesdrop and stepped out of the room.

"Hey, Suzu. What's up?" Ayame walked down the hall.

" _A-are you okay?_ " Suzume's voice asked quietly, " _Kaa-san and tou-san didn't tell me but I heard hospital!_ "

"Of course I'm okay!" Ayame boosted. She entered the resting area for patients, glad there was barely anyone around, and sat on a bench. She swung her legs under and stared at the fountain in the middle. "Don't you remember? Your nee-chan is super strong!"

" _Y-yeah!_ " Suzume agreed. " _Will you come home soon?_ "

"Soon," Ayame repeated, "Take care of okaa-san and otou-san, okay?"

" _Mhmm_."

" _Suzu, let Aya-nee rest, okay?_ " Shiko's voice said softly in the background.

" _O-okay…_ "

Ayame smiled. "Bye-bye, Suzu. Bye, okaa-san."

The phone call ended and Ayame sighed, letting her phone drop onto her lap and leaned back. Although she had told Suzume she was strong, it was only all talk. She hadn't done anything to help the others… Ayame had gotten Yume in trouble too… Yume would be too kind to scold her but; she knew their parents will do it on her behalf.

Ayame sighed again as she looked down. She should be more responsible as the older student… But instead, Ayame had fallen after getting knocked in the head and allowed her kouhais to fight for her. This was the second time already!

Not only that, Todoroki was the one to protect her. Ayame frowned lightly, reminiscing the events from last night and the half-and-half boy. Based on the picture Yume had showed her earlier in the day, Ayame had fainted in Todoroki's arm. He was also the one to carry her out of the alleyway…he also saved her from the flying Nomu…

Ayame sweated and held her head, bending down as her elbows touched her knees. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she remembered all the embarrassing things that had happened last night. It was fine during the day when Ayame had Midoriya or Iida there to distract her but now…

"How many times has it been now…?" Ayame mumbled to herself.

Todoroki had been the one to save her time and time again. Ayame doesn't understand how she kept getting into these predicaments. She thought she was strong but—why couldn't she protect her kouhai?

"Ahhh! Shouta-oji sounded disappointed, too!" Ayame groaned. "How can I get stronger…?"

A hand reached out to rub her head, startling Ayame so bad she nearly fell out of the bench. Todoroki blinked as she tried to collect herself, cheeks tinting red at an alarming rate by his appearance.

"T-T-Todoroki-kun?!"

"Don't hurt yourself thinking," Todoroki only said.

"W-what are you doing here?" Ayame continued to ask. Did he hear anything embarrassing?!

"Just…taking a walk," Todoroki looked away.

He didn't want to admit he wanted to see her. Ever since he heard what Midoriya said this morning, Todoroki had a newfound respect and…curiosity towards Ayame. Maybe because they had spent so much time together that—he ended up, subconsciously seeking her out. It wasn't weird when they held hands and—it wasn't uncomfortable when he saved her from the Nomu. Todoroki was only…returning all the time she had protected him.

But, he was actively protecting her even without learning what she had said against Endeavor.

Todoroki decided to pointedly ignore that little loophole.

"Is everything alright?" Todoroki took the seat next to her, glancing at her from the side with one turquoise eye. He had also noticed her shift in mood when speaking with her family.

Ayame blinked slowly, looking at his sudden approach and question. Again, he was quietly looking out for her and Ayame felt an odd flutter in her stomach.

"Y-yeah!" Ayame sighed but smiled regardless. He was only worried about her! "I just...have some reflecting to do. Thanks, Todoroki-kun."

"Shoto."

"Wh—huh?"

"My name," he glanced at her—only to quickly look away in the face of her wide lilac eyes. "You…said it before. I thought you might have forgotten."

No, no, no way! That—wasn't a dream?! Ayame didn't hallucinate that?! She really called him by his first name?!

Ayame tried to think back to last night. She definitely remembered saying his name before when they met up with Endeavor. Against Stain, she had screamed out his name when she thought the villain was going to kill him. Every time after that, it had been a bit hazy and unclear but—Ayame thought she was just mumbling nonsense!

And now—he wanted her to call him by his name?

Okay, sure, Ayame had called many girls by their first name. She even called a few guys by their first name and nicknames!

But why was it so _odd_ when it came to Todoroki—Shoto?

"I-I didn't forget," Ayame barely stuttered out, looking away from him to focus on the fountain. If she remembered correctly, he had tried urging her to call him by his name before, right?! So—she really wasn't overthinking it?!

"Hm," Todoroki pressed a hand over his mouth and chin, looking off to the side almost bashfully. Ayame's shy reaction…was what he had expected but—he could almost feel her embarrassment from here. "Then, try it."

In a way, Todoroki does feel a bit perplexed by his own behavior. He normally doesn't care what others call him. Only his family used his first name. And yet, Ayame had a tendency of switching it so often that…he ended up expecting his name to follow every time she said 'Sho'. Todoroki just…wanted her to get comfortable with it so he doesn't have odd expectations in the future.

That was it. Nothing else.

Ayame gaped at him again and swore her blush had warmed up her whole face. Wh—why?! Sure, she called others fondly often but this really…was a surprise! She had least expected _Todoroki_ to be the one to come forward and...urge her to say his name. Does this mean—he considered them good friends?

Her heart sped up by those thoughts, wide lilac eyes staring at his light bashful expression before he slowly turned his pretty mismatched eyes back to her. He was waiting for her answer.

There was no reason for her to feel embarrassed by it! Just consider it the same as how she calls her uncle but—change the last syllable!

"S-Sh-Sho—" Todoroki looked at her calmly, "Sho-to-do-roki-kun!"

Todoroki blinked and Ayame nearly slapped her forehead. How can she stutter _that_ badly?!

"Wrong," Todoroki promptly refused, turning to her fully.

Ayame gaped again and yet seeing his serious expression…knew he won't let her go so simply. She inhaled deeply and attempted again, twisting her upper body towards him with full attention and determination. She'll get this right!

"Sh-Sho-totoro-kun!"

This time, Ayame did hide her face behind her hands. What the hell?! What was wrong with her?!

Todoroki…could only stare. Was his name that difficult? She had managed to get it right but—couldn't help but add the ending… He raised his hand again to cover his mouth, trying to hide the smile from her… But it doesn't look as if Ayame noticed considering how she still had her face behind her hands.

"Try again," Todoroki attempted to keep his voice calm.

Ayame begrudgingly lowered her hands, staring at him with an unsatisfied expression. Was he really set on making her call him by his name? Why does Todoroki look so amused?! Even though he has a normally calm face, Ayame can see his eyes nearly twinkling in amusement!

"Fine!" Ayame was exasperated, patting her cheeks in determination and looked straight into grey and turquoise eyes. "Sho—"

Todoroki lifted her chin then, surprising her by his sudden touch, and tilted her chin up just the slightest.

"—to!"

It was silent for a moment when they realized Ayame had not added anything extra behind his name. Todoroki blinked and slowly, a smile spread over his lips at her accomplishment. Ayame was frozen as before with her hands on her cheeks and—Todoroki's hand still under her chin.

"Good job, Ayame," Todoroki whispered with his smile, leaving Ayame even more—stunned.

 _He's unfair_ , was the only thing running through her mind, her heart racing and cheeks warming, _he is really—unfair._

* * *

 **A/N:**

Should I leave Todoroki as 'Shoto' in the future now?

Also, the timeline in the movie is supposed to be set before Season 3. Do you guys want to read the movie storyline or just move straight to Season 3?

Hero Killer Stain arc was pretty short because this was more of Iida's arc, not Ayame's. But her relationship with Shoto keeps improving and they don't even know it themselves~ I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I just went to BTS Rose Bowl concert for 2 days and I am barely recovering now ahah.

Reviews are much loved!

EDIT: A few of you were curious about the Provisional Exams and no, Ayame does not have her license yet. The exams are taken in June and September every year for 2nd years and 3rd. They are currently in May right now. In the BnHA universe, UA and Shiketsu 1st year students were able to take it due to the recent villain attacks but that was during summer/June.


	18. A Little Closer

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

In the morning, a nurse had come by to change Ayame's bandages around her head and arm. She had told the young girl it may leave a scar but, if Recovery Girl was able to help, it might not. Ayame was thankful for that, nearly nodding her head in acceptance but the nurse stopped her in case a headache will appear.

Todoroki and Midoriya also had their bandages changed afterwards. Because Todoroki had light injuries, he was also going to be released the same day. Midoriya was still in bed due to his injured leg and Ayame sat on it casually, both playing random card games with the deck she brought. Occasionally, Todoroki would join them in their little games but, Ayame felt awkward…looking at him sometimes.

It wasn't because of last night! Ayame swore it was not relating to that! Their friendship was only stronger now! Ayame convinced herself she was promoted in Todoroki's mind high enough to refer to him by his name.

 _Wait—isn't that similar to a dating sim?!_

Ayame gaped at that realization, the cards dropping from her hand and Midoriya blink at his upperclassman. Todoroki also glanced at her from his bed yet the brunette offered no explanation.

"Ayame?"

At that time, Yume entered the room in her hero uniform. The elder sister blinked at the frozen girl on Midoriya's bed and Ayame snapped out of her thoughts. She brushed her hair back and turned to Yume with a smile.

"Oh, you're early, Yume-nee!"

"Took an early lunch," Yume explained and walked over. She smiled at Midoriya and Todoroki. "Hello again, Midoriya-san, Todoroki-san."

"S-she knows my name?!" Midoriya gasped to himself. Todoroki nodded his head in greeting.

Ayame laughed loudly and patted his shoulder. "Who do you think told her?"

"Originally, Ayame called you 'Deku-kun' but I wasn't positive if it was your real name or another nickname she made up," Yume smiled.

"It's his hero name!"

"Yeah," Midoriya smiled sheepishly, confidence growing as he straightened his back. "It's Deku."

Yume blinked and smiled, nodding her head in approval. "I hope we can work together in the future then, Deku-san."

Midoriya gasped in astonishment when Yume raised her hand for a handshake. They hadn't been properly introduced until now but Midoriya didn't mind. He was honored to even talk to LullaCry in the first place.

"Yes!" Midoriya shook her hand thankfully.

Ayame giggled and stood up, stretching once before turning to Yume. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yup," Yume handed a bag of clothes towards Ayame. "Get changed. I can only walk with you till the train station."

"Okay~"

Ayame hopped towards the bathroom down the hall and Yume went to clean up her bed. She glanced over to see Todoroki was already changed into his U.A. uniform.

"Are you leaving today, too, Todoroki-san?" Yume asked politely.

"Yeah," Todoroki fixed his blazer. "My old man signed the papers early in the morning."

Yume blinked. Then…what was he waiting for?

Ayame returned back to the room in a navy blue shirt and pants, brushing her long hair with her fingers to the side and walked over to Midoriya.

"Deku-kun! We'll be leaving first. Take care of yourself, okay? Give me a call if you're lonely!" Ayame grinned towards the shorter boy and could see a slight blush forming on his cheeks.

"I-I wouldn't want to bother your rest—senpai," Midoriya waved his hand shyly.

Ayame shrugged, unperturbed. "I'd be bored anyways!"

"Let's go, Aya," Yume packed up the rest of Ayame's suitcase by the bed and wheeled it over. At the same time, Todoroki finished up and followed them. Ayame blinked.

"Oh—To—" Remembering last night, Ayame flushed in embarrassment and coughed, looking away from three curious pair of eyes. "A-are you leaving with us?"

Todoroki nodded his head. "I only have light injuries so, I will be returning to my internship."

"To Endeavor's place?" Midoriya asked.

"I wanted to learn what I can from him," Todoroki replied. "Besides, they said he defeated the Hero Killer even though he didn't actually do it. I want to see his expression."

Ayame choked back a laugh, her lips accidentally turning upwards into a smile at Todoroki's ruthlessness towards his father. Yume and Midoriya smiled helplessly and with another wave, Ayame said her farewell to Midoriya. Yume watched from behind as the two students walked side by side together, a thoughtful expression on her face at the two not talking to each other.

"Where's your suitcase?" Ayame realized, only seeing a navy blue bookbag over his shoulder. Both of them were waiting off to the side while Yume signed the papers yet Ayame couldn't help but wonder…why was Todoroki still here?

"Sent it over to the hotel earlier," Todoroki replied casually. What actually happened was that he left it to Endeavor in the morning but he didn't bother to explain why he stayed.

"Alright, we're all set," Yume returned back to their side with some paperwork in her hands. She put it back into Ayame's suitcase and wheeled it out for her.

They began to walk out the hospital with Yume leading the way. Briefly, she stopped at the entrance to turn to the two teens, smiling at the boy.

"Say…Todoroki-san, you're free now, aren't you?"

Two pairs of eyes turned to the hero simultaneously. Todoroki looked guarded by Yume's question, mismatched eyes narrowed slightly on violet ones in contemplation. Ayame looked confused at the sudden question but Yume wasn't paying attention to her sister. A slow smile had appeared on her lips as she studied the younger boy's slightly tensed form right next to Ayame.

This boy was discharged earlier in the morning yet he stayed in the hospital. His suitcase was already sent away. For what reason would he stay behind—if not for a certain girl now? And, to make it more obvious, Todoroki only left when Yume came to pick Ayame up. Her little sister may be dense and clueless sometimes but, Yume can see right through him.

"Can I trouble you to escort Ayame home?" Yume smiled politely, trying to hide an amused laugh at Ayame's agape expression and Todoroki's startled eyes.

"Wha—"

"I'm worried she's still a little muddle-headed," Yume looked the perfect part of a worried older sibling and yet in Todoroki's eyes, he could see the glee in violet eyes.

 _She…knew…_ Todoroki realized. "I can."

Ayame turned to him next. "I'm fine—"

"Thank you so much!" Yume interrupted again, a grin emerging on her face as she handed the suitcase to Todoroki's empty hand. She turned to Ayame then, smoothing out the tan hair on Ayame's head and smiled a little too widely. "It's because I care, Aya. Get home safe, okay? Though…I'm sure you're in capable hands."

Ayame couldn't even say anything when Yume whirled around to leave. She stared at her sister's back in disbelief. Who was the one that said they will walk her to the train station?! How did it end up to Todoroki _escorting_ her home?!

She turned to Todoroki immediately, feeling flustered and embarrassed though Todoroki had calmed down by now. He was good at smoothing out a neutral expression—the opposite of Ayame who couldn't keep a calm façade.

"I am—so sorry—you don't have to—I can get home safe," Ayame quickly apologized. She's a responsible teenager, at least! And—she doesn't have a concussion anymore! Why were they so worried?! Why was Yume so insistent?!

"It's fine," Todoroki assured, one hand shoved in his pocket and the other was wheeling her suitcase. "I've already agreed to your sister."

Well, if Yume wanted to use Ayame as an excuse to help him 'escort' her home, Todoroki was not one to complain. Yume practically gave Todoroki an excuse—not that he was waiting for it or anything. Todoroki thought he may want to stop by his house to pick up something and was—going to go with Ayame in the first place since they're in the same direction.

…Now that he thought about it, it was best Todoroki didn't say his original excuse out loud.

No, correction, it was not an 'excuse' but…explanation.

Ayame sighed but followed Todoroki out of the hospital regardless, allowing him to take her suitcase as they walked towards the train station. She couldn't help but second guess _why_ Todoroki had agreed so easily as well… Didn't he say he wanted to see Endeavor's expression earlier? And, he could have left anytime so…why now?

"Ne, Todo—" At his quick glance, Ayame coughed and tried again, "S-Sho-to-kun… You wouldn't happen to stay longer _just_ to walk me home, would you?"

Todoroki's hand twitched when his name left her lips but—his heart tightened at her spot-on speculation.

"No, that can't be right," Ayame laughed in the end, brushing off the silly question and ignoring her rapid heartbeat. It was ridiculous for her to presume such a thing when it was only recently they had gotten closer. Todoroki was only following her sister's demand; nothing more.

Todoroki's hand twitched again, mismatched eyes silently looking at Ayame's carefree smile. What would happen if he admitted to her question? Would she blush and run away? Or would she not believe him and laugh it off?

Somehow, Todoroki didn't want to know.

"Oh, how cute!"

Todoroki blinked as Ayame hopped over to one of the windowed stores, lilac eyes shining in excitement at the display. It looked like a quaint little shop filled with girly items ranging from school supplies to stuffed dolls and snacks. It was bright and pastel, made to attract young girls and…very fitting for Ayame as she looked at it happily. On the display was a fluffy white bunny, two long ears hanging down by the side.

"Do you want to go in?" Todoroki asked casually.

"Ah!" As if remembering she was not alone, Ayame startled and blushed. She shook her head no quickly—but stopped, dizziness swirling around her head. "N-no, it's fine! I just thought—this would be cute for Suzume."

Ayame grinned sheepishly with one hand holding onto her head. Todoroki hummed and tilted his head towards the door.

"I still need a gift for my mother," was his excuse.

She blinked at him as he took the first step to walk in, her thoughts running wild at his consideration. He was only buying a gift for his mother! Stop thinking that it could be more! With another shake of her head, Ayame hopped in after him.

The inside of the shop was just as cute as the display. Soft music played in the background and a few other people were browsing around. Todoroki was off to the side looking at the snacks and Ayame went over to the doll section, picking up the white bunny and checking the price tag. It was slightly on the pricier side but—not over the top. Ayame mentally winced at her wallet.

 _This is for you, Suzu!_

Quietly, she held the bunny in one arm and walked around the shop. She passed the notebooks and office supplies, blinking at the small display in surprise. There was an All Might section! She tucked the rabbit under her arm and browsed through the display, getting excited by the second as she saw the cute pens, erasers, trading cards, and such around. Her eyes noticed a booklet off to the side and Ayame picked it up, recognizing it was a book cover of some sort.

"Found something?"

Ayame nearly jumped by his voice so close to her ear. She knew they were around the same height but—Todoroki was practically leaning over her shoulder! She quickly looked away, focusing back on the notebook in hand.

"I was thinking this would be perfect for Deku-kun," Ayame said with a small smile. Todoroki glanced at her. "You've seen his notebook, right? It's all messed up! It would be hard to transfer all his data to another notebook but I think—a new cover will do just fine."

"Yeah," Todoroki quietly agreed. Again, she's being considerate for someone without even required to.

"Did you pick something out?" Ayame readjusted the bunny and book cover now, turning to Todoroki with a smile. In his hand was a box of _higashi_ , finely grounded sugar shaped confectionaries. Based on the design of the box, it looked both fancy and cute. "Wow, those look good!"

"They have it over there," Todoroki tilted his chin to the left.

Ayame hopped over at the snack area, smile pausing at the price again. Damn it! Why was everything so expensive? Maybe she shouldn't have spent so much on snacks during the weekdays…

"W-well, next time," Ayame smiled sheepishly and walked away. Todoroki glanced at the snacks then to Ayame's retreating back. Without a word, he took one more box and went to checkout.

They left the shop quietly afterwards and made their way to the train station. Ayame felt bad for making Todoroki carry the bags and suitcase but, he seemed fine with it. Todoroki merely shrugged, not noticing the weight of the items, and continued on. Ayame sighed to herself; he was just—too good!

The train wasn't busy and both found a seat within for the ride. Ayame watched the scenery go by quietly, feeling a few stares on her once in awhile but ignored it. It must be because of her injuries that caused others to stare. Ayame was used to it.

At that time, she felt a nudge from the side. Ayame turned to Todoroki curiously, watching him unwound his earbud wires and offered one side to her. She gaped, realizing what he was offering and resisted the urge to blush. Quietly, she took the earbud and put it in her left ear, hearing soft music playing from the end as Todoroki flipped through his phone.

It wasn't rock music or pop. It sounded like piano instrumentals but—not classical. Ayame wondered if this was the type of music he enjoyed listening to—and what else he had. Todoroki was just…so quiet about himself but slowly, she's learning more about him. Ayame felt happy for that.

The train ride wasn't long but—it also wasn't exactly short. Ayame thought Todoroki took a huge detour just to escort her home. She was feeling better already and felt bad he was taking his time out of his internship just to help her. Mentally, Ayame yelled at Yume.

Why, why, why did she ask him that?!

They finally left the train station after the ride in silence and Todoroki put away his phone and ear buds. As they made their way back onto the street, the news channel on the giant televisions were playing news of the Hero Killer. Both Todoroki and Ayame paused, glancing at each other once before turning their attention back on screen.

" _When eight pro heroes and four high school students came across the Hero Killer, Endeavor rushed over and took care of the situation."_

The newscaster continued to talk on about the injuries Stain sustained and how he was put into a detention center afterwards. The media rejoiced over Endeavor's victory and no other names were made public.

"Endeavor took down Hero Killer?"

"As expected of the Number Two Hero!"

Ayame glanced at Todoroki again—only to see his face blank at the mention of his father. He turned around to walk in her house's direction, pausing to glance back at her.

"Lead the way."

She blinked—and hopped over to him. He really was—going to walk her home! But—why does this feel so weird?!

"I guess...they really did censor us from the media," Ayame began as they walked together once more.

"Ah," Todoroki agreed, "Are you disappointed?"

"No way," Ayame chuckled softly, "I'm just glad no one was killed… Besides, being a hero isn't for glory… In a way...I think I understand what _he_ meant."

He knew she meant the Hero Killer, Stain.

"That's dangerous thinking," Todoroki lightly advised, "He killed others for the sake of his own justice. Even if his determination is commendable, he chose the wrong method."

"Yeah, you're right," Ayame smiled helplessly.

"Don't worry about it," Todoroki glanced at her, "We are fine the way we are now."

Ayame gave a small hum, soft yet thoughtful as they walked together in silence again. The topic regarding the Hero Killer was sensitive and she could understand why Todoroki advised her to be careful. His capture yet motivation…might spark something far dangerous in their world of heroes and villains.

Ayame shook those thoughts away. For now, it wasn't her business to worry about.

"You know I've thought of this quite a few times already," Ayame began casually, a way to distract and avoid the previous topic. "But, you're really strong, To—Shoto-kun."

She lost track of the times Ayame thought Todoroki was strong. Every time she seen him fight, that thought had at least flashed by her mind once. It was more than who he was related to; Todoroki had good instincts as well. He was fast to decisions and assessment, logical and quick to react.

He was definitely someone to be envious of.

But, Ayame admired him, too.

If it wasn't for him, Ayame didn't know how her life may have ended up in Stain's hands. Todoroki had saved her countless of times already. Even before their internships, he had somehow always been there to her rescue. It was slightly embarrassing on her part to rely on his help but—Ayame wanted to repay his aid already.

She didn't know how.

"I will get stronger, too," Ayame said more to herself than Todoroki, voice laced with a firm tone that was far different from Ayame's normal one. "I won't be a burden again."

"You're not," Todoroki's definite voice cut through her whispers, bringing lilac eyes to his calm face. "You had saved me, too, senpai. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Ayame doesn't outright say it but Todoroki can see her self-deprecating nature. Because she was always cheerful and joking around with others, not many can see through the insecurity and walls she built around herself. She had just begun to step out of LullaCry's shadow but it was not enough to gain her full confidence. She thought herself weak but it was only because she was surrounded by others beyond the norm.

Takarada Noeru and Shimizu Yuu appeared in his mind.

Todoroki wondered if they had contributed to her insecurity.

"And, as I said before," Todoroki continued in a softer tone, eyes looking slightly downwards at the pavement rather than at the intense stare Ayame was currently giving him, "I can protect you, too."

Ayame froze.

In hindsight, Todoroki's words could be considered as a confession. All the overprotection and reassurance from Ayame could also be considered as a confession. But neither party knew how to react around the blatant affection and Ayame thought he was only being polite while Todoroki was only telling the truth.

Maybe, if they let the thoughts linger a little longer; they would be able to decipher their feelings even more.

But, for these two dense teens, it won't be for a while.

"Now, that won't be fair, Shoto-kun!" Ayame's bright laugh had smothered any anxiety both had. "You've done plenty already! I lost track of all your heroic feats but I will repay you!"

Todoroki blinked. He never would request of any type of payment from her. The times he had 'saved' her were only natural and what he should do.

"That's not necessary."

But, Todoroki does remember Ayame mentioning something about 'owing' him before…

He will make a mental count later.

"Mm, I want to!" Ayame was adamant, "If you ever need something and I can be of assistance, don't be afraid to ask! I'll do my best as a senpai and friend!"

For some reason, Todoroki felt uncomfortable by that notion.

It wasn't because he rejected her help. There also wasn't a lot Todoroki desired now. He never required anyone's assistance besides his own. It wasn't until recently, _really_ recently, that he considered being more…social with others. If anything, Ayame had helped him…more than she realized.

But, a part of him did dislike the way she views him…

It wasn't condescending or impolite. Ayame had always taken her upperclassman duty seriously. She was attentive to her kouhais and knew how to take care of others. It was like she saw them as her little siblings even though they were only _one_ year younger.

Todoroki doesn't know how to react with that information.

But, he knew he does not completely _like_ it.

"Then," Todoroki started without thinking, for once, not knowing _how_ to approach such subject. He does not _dislike_ her personality; he just wanted her to view him a bit…differently. And the way to change that…was simply to change their dynamics together. "Can you tell me more about yourself?"

Ayame nearly tripped.

But instead, she stumbled. Quickly, Ayame regained her balance before Todoroki noticed but—his hand had already lifted instinctively.

"W-what did you want to know?" Ayame was not going to deny such a simple request.

Realizing his hand had moved, Todoroki adjusted his grip on the bags and luggage, turning his eyes away from her. He shrugged, also not understanding what else he could ask for.

"Um…well," Ayame racked her brain for some answers. It felt like a class presentation again! B-but, this was regarding herself—even she doesn't know herself sometimes! "I have two siblings—which I guess you already know that. My mom is an ex-hero, Nightmare. She's—blind."

Todoroki nearly stopped walking. He already knew of her siblings but—Ayame rarely talked about her mother. During that hospital visit, he had noticed her mother was there as well but—he hadn't realized she was an ex-hero—and one so famous before.

"My dad is an artist; anything he draws can come to life. It's similar but—different from my own Quirk," Ayame continued to explain. Honestly, she thought she was rambling, saying any facts that come to mind. "My younger sister, Suzume, is homeschooled. It's…difficult for her to go outside."

He paused again, taking in the little difficult expression Ayame had, as if struggling with herself on what to say or not. Todoroki realized Ayame doesn't talk about herself often. It was because she's sharing her family with him—did he realize, Ayame also doesn't go beyond the surface when speaking of her family.

Todoroki wanted to tell her to stop. She was not required to say more than necessary if she was uncomfortable. He did not mean to pry; he understood the complication of families _very_ well. But before he can assure her, Ayame made up her mind.

"Her Quirk causes others to fall into their nightmares," she said carefully, "Similar to the Dream Quirk…where eye contact can put the other to sleep but…different because they will dream of their worst fears. Sometimes, Suzume can catch glimpses of the other's subconscious."

Dangerous. That was what Todoroki realized when he heard her soft explanation. Her family was filled with dangerous Quirks—her sister especially. He can barely fathom what type of trouble Suzume may accidentally bring.

Todoroki wondered if Ayame had fallen prey to her Quirk before. He also wondered if that was the cause for her overly-cheerful personality. He wondered how she felt with all these complications within her family and how she handled it. Ayame definitely loves her family and they love her back; that much was given. But, he wondered what else she may hide behind her bright exterior.

He wanted to know more.

"Toya is my eldest brother with a powerful Flame Quirk," it wouldn't be fair if she was the only one sharing. "Fuyumi is my only sister and the second eldest, Ice Quirk. She…tries her best to keep the family together… Before, I had often ignored her but…I see she's optimistic about her family. Natsuo is four years older than me, Ice Quirk as well. He's gone off to college."

Ayame was surprised Todoroki went in detail with his siblings in the first place. She thought it was still a topic too sensitive to bring up yet Todoroki had offered to share.

"As a child, my old man separated me from my siblings. I…don't know much about them."

Todoroki looked truly awkward with that explanation. It merely reaffirmed Ayame's belief that she was truly lucky with her family and siblings yet—Todoroki was unable to. Because of Endeavor again…

"Y-you will!"

Ayame honestly didn't know what else to say. She was never the best at comfort and can never understand what Todoroki felt or went through but—she wanted to try. She can see how his childhood had shaped him into who he was now—and how much it must have also pained him.

"I'm sure—your siblings will understand. It's not fair to any of you. And—it won't happen immediately but—gradually, there will be more opportunity for you guys!"

Todoroki blinked, pausing to see the slightly shy—yet just as unyielding expression on her face. Ayame was too easy to rile up, too easy to get worked up for something that doesn't even concern herself. It may have been a trait others find exasperating but Todoroki…was thankful.

Ayame was everything he was not. She's optimistic and kind, sociable and supportive. Todoroki appreciated that about her.

"Un," he quietly agreed, a smile spreading onto his lips. Seeing her just as hopeful for his future put his worries to ease.

The drumming of her heart grew louder.

Ayame was right. He does look even more attractive with his smile.

But, she definitely did not expect to feel shy with it.

They arrived at her house shortly after. Todoroki glanced at the two-story building while Ayame unlocked the front gate for them. As they made their way to the door, it suddenly burst open to reveal a short black blob. Suzume's unruly hair flew behind as she ran into Ayame's arm, causing the tall girl to step back once to regain her balance before laughing and carrying her up.

" _Okaeri_ , onee-chan!"

Ayame smiled. " _Tadaima_ , Suzu."

Todoroki watched quietly from the side. As always, the siblings were close with one another. As if remembering something, Ayame turned to him fully with Suzume in her arms.

"I don't think you guys had a proper introduction. Suzume, this is my friend, Todoroki Shoto." It was a little late considering they had seen each other before but, Todoroki appreciated the gesture.

"Nice to meet you, Todo-boyfriend-nii-san!" Suzume grinned brightly to the boy, shedding her shy exterior to her sister's friend.

Ayame gaped and Todoroki froze. From behind, they could hear laughter at the door. Ayame whirled around to see her mother leaning against the door frame with a wild laughter.

"It's To-do-ro-ki, Suzume!" Ayame quickly corrected. She nearly forgot how their last meeting went! Ayame needed to clear up the misunderstandings before it was too late! "I am so sorry. She's—normally not like this."

Ayame had tried to explain with tinted cheeks yet Suzume looked confused—as if she did nothing wrong. Shiko's laughter subside just the slightest, dull eyes twinkling in excitement at the blur of colors. This was indeed a surprise. This boy from the hospital had walked Ayame home.

"It's alright," Todoroki reassured. He wasn't as embarrassed as Ayame but he also found himself not caring for the nickname.

"Would you like to come in, Todoroki?" Shiko asked from the doorway, finally calm but her grin was wide. After their first meeting in the hospital, Shiko finally remembered why his name was so familiar. He was the son of Endeavor. Shiko did not encounter the Number Two Pro Hero often during her previous era but, she had heard plenty.

"No, thank you," Todoroki refused politely. "I need to return to my internship."

"Oh, so diligent. With Endeavor, right? Isn't he still in Hosu City? This is quite far from there," Shiko mused.

"It's because Yume-nee pestered him to walk me back!" Ayame huffed and set Suzume down. She turned to Todoroki again and took the bag containing the bunny within and pulled it out. Suzume's violet eyes widen and sparkled in response, wiggling nervously in her spot yet dared not to pounce again. Ayame smiled fondly. "Here, Suzume. A gift for you."

Suzume gasped and threw her arms around the bunny half her size.

"Thank you, Aya-neechan!"

The little girl ran back into the house and Ayame giggled after her. She brushed back her loose tan hair and reached for her items by Todoroki. There was only her luggage and a plastic bag left.

"Thanks for walking me home. Sorry it was a bit out of the way," Ayame apologized sheepishly.

"It's fine," relieved of everything but his own bag, Todoroki shoved one hand into his pocket. It wasn't like he…disliked their time together. "There is one thing you can help me with."

Ayame tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.

"Keep this for me," Todoroki handed the plastic bag to Ayame. She took it as well, noticing two boxes of the confectionary he purchased for his mother and looked at him curiously again. "I'll come back for it another time."

"Ah, sure!" Ayame thought it was because he couldn't stop by his home now.

Todoroki glanced at her, then to her mother who was most likely eavesdropping on the conversation. He resisted the urge to add more to their parting, to ask her to call him if Ayame encounters any issues, and suppressed the heat from boiling under his skin.

"Good luck on your interns," Ayame added in the end. "I'll see you at school, Shoto-kun."

Todoroki smiled at her ease in saying his name and turned to leave.

"See you soon, Ayame."

* * *

The next few days passed by quietly with Ayame stuck in bed. She tried convincing her parents it was her head and arm that was injured, not her legs, but they refused to budge. There had been a few times Ayame experienced a dizziness spell, causing her family to worry when she stumbled into a wall. With a sigh, Ayame resigned to staying in bed for the next two days while playing her video games and browsing through her phone.

When it was finally time for her to return back to school, Ayame reassured her family she will make a trip to Recovery Girl to heal. Her head doesn't feel as dizzy anymore and her arm doesn't hurt as long as she took the pain medication. Overall, Ayame was fully capable of going to and from school. Hiroshi insisted he will take her to school just for the day and Ayame agreed in the end.

She doesn't say it but, feeling her family's concern warmed her heart.

Within the school grounds, Ayame made her way to the second year's department. For a second, she paused when she passed the first years, thinking back to her kouhais and wondering if she should stop by. She was currently early anyways and wanted to check up on Iida and Midoriya; but at the thought of the half-and-half boy being in the same room caused her to hesitate.

It wasn't like she's nervous around him! Ayame really wondered why she had been thinking so much about Todoroki—or why his whisper of her name left her in such bewilderment. And—it wasn't until after did Ayame realize, he dropped the honorifics completely!

"Ayame?"

She startled, turning around to see icy blue eyes fallen on her form. Ayame blinked when Yuu walked up to her with his usual smile, eyes lingering on the bandages around her head and arm. Ayame had wrapped the blazer around her waist in favor of letting her injured arm free from constraints.

 _So it is true…_ Yuu thought.

"Morning, Yuu," Ayame greeted with a smile.

Quietly, she noticed that Takarada was not with the vice pres this morning. Realizing something, Ayame blinked and took a step closer to Yuu, causing the boy to freeze and look down at her.

"Ne, Yuu! Can you call my name again?"

He blinked at Ayame's shining eyes and wondered _why_ she asked such an odd request. As for Ayame, she just wanted to confirm one _little_ thing.

"Ayame," Yuu repeated with a small smile.

As expected, Yuu's call of her name did not leave her flustered. And yet, for some reason, that only left Ayame more confused. What was the difference between Yuu and Todoroki? Was it because Ayame was already accustomed to Yuu's call of her?

Noticing that she was zoning around, Yuu's eyes narrowed slightly in amusement. She hadn't bothered to explain anything and was still so _close_ to him. Ayame was as dense as always.

"What are you thinking of, _Aya_ - _neechan_?" Yuu lowered his head and voice, bringing startled lilac eyes to him.

Ayame gasped and took a step back, her heart racing from his sudden movement. Seeing that as a reaction Yuu wanted, his smile widened and straightened his back. That was more like it. He does not appreciate being ignored.

"Oh? Senpai!"

Ayame whirled around to the familiar voices, eyes lighting up at the distraction. Kirishima and Sero walked by at that time, both boys greeting Ayame cheerfully. They blinked at the Shimizu heir with her but shrugged to themselves; they were classmates anyways.

"Sero-kun! Eijiro-kun! Morning!" Ayame bounced back to herself happily and nearly went to them but—a hand reached out to grasp hers. She paused, turning back to Yuu curiously and wondering why he stopped her.

"We have class," he explained with a slight smile.

"I'm just going to say hi," Ayame reassured with a tilt of her head. "I won't be late!"

His eyes slid over to the two boys then to Ayame again. She looked absolutely innocent and certain that there was no reason for Yuu to refuse in the first place. He wasn't anything to her besides a classmate and…possibly friends. But, he was her vice president of 2-A.

"Alright," Yuu let go of her hand with his usual princely smile, "But, if you are, I suppose you will have to answer to Noeru."

Ayame shivered. She does not want to deal with him in any way! Sure he doesn't make snide remarks to her anymore and does not look at her with those hateful eyes but—it was still weird to interact with Takarada sometimes.

"I-I won't!"

With that, Ayame headed over to Sero and Kirishima's amused expression. Yuu watched her leave for one more second before making his way back to their classroom. When Ayame reached them, both boys were looking at her with sly smiles, eyes narrowing playfully as they nudged Ayame walking with them.

"Oh senpai, was it wise to leave Shimizu-senpai for us?" Sero began teasingly.

Ayame looked at him oddly. What the heck?

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Kirishima choked back a laugh while Sero snickered. They made it to 1-A quickly while both guys were attempting to stifle their laughter. Ayame frowned and crossed her arms; why were they acting like idiots?

"Oi, you guys better not be thinking of anything weird," Ayame huffed.

"But he's your boyfriend!"

" _What_ the _hell?!_ "

Class 1-A looked at the door to see Sero and Kirishima clutching their stomachs tightly while laughing at Ayame's agape expression. She fumed in rage, shoving the two playfully at each other but they cared not for it. Immediately, the two of them held each other's hand dramatically, trying to suppress the smile on their lips as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Oh, _Ayame-chan_ , let's go together," Sero acted out dramatically, looking at Kirishima with tears in his eyes and teeth biting his lips to prevent him from laughing.

"Oh, _Yuu-kun_ ," Kirishima acted back with the same enthusiasm, "It will only be a second! I will return to you!"

The class looked amused by the two's display but most of all—Ayame looked absolutely infuriated—and _embarrassed_. These two idiots were mocking her!

"Shut! Up!" Ayame knocked the two into each other, causing the two to stop momentarily to clutch their heads but—still laughing. "You—you—idiots! That's not how it happened! What are you two imagining?!"

"AHAHAHAHA—"

Sero and Kirishima only laughed harder.

"Oi! Get out of the way, you idiots!"

Ayame rubbed her temple and turned behind her.

"Not now, Kac—" She gaped at the angry boy's appearance—specifically, his brushed back parted blonde hair—and it was enough for Ayame to burst out laughing. "Who is this?! Kacchan?! Are you his twin?!"

Sero and Kirishima turned their attention to the appearance of the new boy, laughter turning louder as they leaned on the wall for support.

"Seriously?! Seriously, Bakugo?!" The two howled in hilarity; their morning was already the best they can dream of to be.

"Stop laughing!" Bakugo's fist shook in anger, his pupils disappearing as he glared at the three of them. "My hair's gotten used to it, so it won't go back even after I wash it! Hey! Stop laughing! I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try, Side-Part Boy!" Sero taunted.

"What'd you say?!" Bakugo yelled back, his hair spiked up in anger as if it had a mind of its own.

"It's back!" Sero and Kirishima pointed and laughed.

Ayame wiped the tears away from her eyes as she quietly slipped away, thankful Bakugo provided enough distraction to the boys. She waved to a few girls who had greeted her and made her way to the back of the class. Midoriya and Iida were surrounding Todoroki's table and she went over with a hop.

"Hey! Are you guys healed up yet?" Ayame smiled at them brightly.

Todoroki looked at her quietly. Although he showed no expression with Sero and Kirishima's enactment…what did they mean with that Shimizu heir? Ayame noticed his silent gaze and wondered why he was staring so intently on her—fighting the blush from her cheeks as she looked at Midoriya and Iida instead.

"Un, I'm doing better," Midoriya smiled in assurance.

"Yes, thank you, senpai! Most of my injuries are already healed," Iida nodded his head.

Ayame smiled. "Sure! Just let Hotaru-chan know later~"

The brunette giggled at the tall boy's blank face yet—red cheeks. Iida didn't know how to react to her slight tease and before Ayame had the chance to leave, she was stopped by Kaminari.

"Ayame-senpai, aren't _your_ class presidents worried about _you_?" Kaminari snickered, both hands raised to cover his lips in a girlish manner, "You were injured to such an extent for the sake of those three, right?"

She reeled back in surprise. Why were they bringing them up again?!

"Yeah! The Hero Killer! No wonder Shimizu-senpai stopped you this morning!" Sero said while hanging by his collar from Bakugo's fist.

"I'm glad you guys made it out alive! Seriously," Kirishima also sighed in relief from Bakugo's other fist.

"I was worried," Yaoyorozu said from the next seat.

"Hey, wait, let's get some things clear!" Ayame interrupted, "The class presidents and I are just _classmates_! I was only injured cause I messed up. These three actually saved _me_!"

"The more you deny it, the less believable it is," Sero snickered quietly.

"Well, it's because you're impulsive, wasn't it?" Kaminari teased.

"You move before you think!" Kirishima added.

Ayame gaped. "Since when did you guys turn against me?!"

The rowdy boys only laughed at Ayame's offended expression.

"In the end, wasn't it Endeavor that saved you?" Sato asked.

"That's amazing! As expected from the Number Two Hero!" Hagakure exclaimed.

A squeak sounded behind them and they turned to Todoroki pushing the chair back to stand up. He reached over to settle a hand over Ayame's shoulder; his mismatched eyes lingered on the bandages around her head.

"It's true that he saved us but…senpai contributed just as much."

They blinked at Todoroki's sudden defense on their senpai. Even Ayame looked dazed at him and after a moment of silence, Todoroki sat back down just as reservedly. The students looked at each other in confusion.

When did the best in their class turn so _friendly_ towards their upperclassman?

"Ah, he's exaggerating," Ayame laughed and rubbed the back of her head, ignoring the curious looks of them. She glanced at the clock in the room, gasping at how many minutes had already passed and made her way towards the door. "I gotta go now! Everyone, I'll see you later!"

Ayame rounded the corner and everyone watched the long tan hair disappear. Slowly, Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari turned to the blank-faced Todoroki with arched eyebrows.

"We were only teasing Ayame-senpai, Todoroki," Sero said slyly.

"Since when did you two get so close?!" Mineta screamed.

Todoroki blinked at them, unamused. He was only saying what was correct. There was no need for the overreaction.

"W-well Ayame-senpai did rush in to help us," Midoriya was the one to speak up this time, "I think…that's what makes her heroic."

The others calmed down, smiling and nodded their head at their upperclassman.

"Oh, we know!" Kirishima said as in a matter of fact.

"That's what we like about her!" Kaminari added.

"And yet you guys tease her at every opportunity?" Jirou asked with an arched brow.

"It's affection!"

The girls only shook their heads at them.

* * *

2-A asked Ayame about her injuries and if she encountered the Hero Killer. Although they did not know the details and were mainly guessing Ayame's involvement due to the mention of LullaCry in one interview, Ayame kept her response as vague as possible. They had commented on her injuries and wished for a quick recovery but other than that, school went just as always.

During lunch, she reassured Hotaru and the others she will see them after a trip to Recovery Girl. Although Ayame thought battle scars were cool, she was still a teenage girl! She can still be a little vain when it came to her face.

But then, Todoroki's scar appeared in her mind, reminding her that one of her kouhai was already injured beyond recovery… He does not mention much about it, only confessing to her once about the cause—and never again. Ayame wondered if it still bothered him. When Ayame looks at Todoroki Shoto, she does not see the ugliness of the scar but rather, the growth caused by it.

… _It's still upsetting, though..._

Recovery Girl looked surprised by Ayame's appearance again. The brunette doesn't blame her; Ayame had been recently getting into quite a few unfortunately circumstances and had already visited the nurse more than she did last year. With a helpless sigh, Recovery Girl helped heal her injuries and changed the bandages into white patches, lightly scolding her to be careful in the future.

"Well, it would be hard since I'm going to be a hero," Ayame laughed sheepishly.

"That's no excuse!" Recover Girl slapped the medicinal patch onto her arm, causing Ayame to wince momentarily, "If an injury disables you from your duties in the future, you would have no one but yourself to blame."

Her eyes softened, remembering her mother all too fondly.

"I know."

Ayame left the nurse's office quietly, brushing back the fringes from her forehead and leaned on the wall. She looked at her bandaged arm and although it will take a few more days to heal, Recovery Girl assured her it would not scar.

"I _have_ been getting injured quite often," Ayame mumbled to herself. But, she felt as if her injuries were unwarranted. She had not done much in the first place and hopelessly gotten hurt.

" _You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."_

Ayame startled and raised the hand to her cheek, preventing the blush from appearing as she shook her head and turned away. A wave of dizziness attacked her head then, still drained and not fully recovered from the healing as she set one hand to her temple.

"Are you an idiot?"

She turned her head to the source of the voice, looking into piercing crystal eyes just a few feet away. Ayame didn't even have a retort to counter with when Noeru approached her with his usual frown.

"Nice to see you too, Takarada," Ayame rolled her eyes sarcastically.

He said nothing as response, eyeing the bandages again without a word. Noeru had seen the article regarding the Hero Killer pop up—only to be deleted an hour later. Although the image was a bit distorted, he recognized the shiny red skirt from the brunette's hero uniform.

"You faced the Hero Killer and survived."

It was more of a statement than question. Ayame gaped at him though Noeru expected this result. This girl had a knack of getting into trouble.

"N-no, this was from something else," Ayame stuttered.

"You're a terrible liar."

Ayame groaned. "Does anyone else know?"

"Besides Yuu?" Noeru said quietly, "I assume your little kouhais from 1-A know."

After all, Endeavor's kid was the one _holding_ her.

Noeru decided that was useless information.

Useless information he does not need to ponder over.

"You're not going to tell, are you?" Ayame furrowed her eyebrows at him. "I mean—there's nothing to hide in the first place! I-I was rescued by Endeavor in the end!"

Noeru gave her a blank look. He knew she was lying. Even if Noeru did not know the full story, he knew she did more than just 'run into' the Hero Killer.

"I'm not interested to know more," Noeru replied casually.

Ayame blinked. Then why did he bring it up in the first place?!

Noeru also did not elaborate and before they knew it, the two entered the cafeteria together. Ayame hadn't realized she followed him. They had just…been talking—which was weird by itself because this was one of the rare conversations they did not begin fighting in the middle. Sure, Noeru still called her an idiot but at this point—Ayame would find it _weirder_ if he does not greet her like so.

 _Wait_ , Ayame paused; _I don't actually_ _ **like**_ _him calling me that, right?! No, no, no, no, no!_

"What are you doing," Noeru sounded exasperated, looking at Ayame shaking her head again with red cheeks. He put a palm over her head to stop it from moving, narrowing his crystal eyes at the way her eyes glazed over from the dizziness.

"Ah—" Ayame took a step back in shock by his sudden touch, lilac eyes wide and—widening even more when she bumped into a body behind. "S-sorry—!"

"It's lunchtime," a calm voice reached her ears, causing Ayame to blink at Todoroki's sudden appearance. He was not looking at her as he steadied Ayame back to her feet, his hand carefully leaving her shoulder. "Did you eat yet, _Ayame_ -senpai?"

"Oh—no," Ayame blinked—and blinked again. Was it just her or—was Todoroki and Noeru _glaring_ at each other? It was so hard to tell with these two expressionless boys. And—he turned back to her proper honorifics again?

"Then, let's go," Todoroki said sincerely, mismatched eyes finally returned her gaze to tilt his head towards Lunch Rush.

"Uh—yeah."

And just like that, Ayame followed him without a response to Noeru. The class president looked at the two leaving with a frown, crystal eyes slightly narrowed at the heterochromia boy's back. At that time, Todoroki glanced back to make sure Ayame was alright and then—met Noeru's gaze.

Grey and turquoise eyes narrowed against crystal ones, taking a millisecond to regard him before looking away. Noeru frowned at the challenging look from Endeavor's son, feeling annoyed at how Todoroki seemed to want to provoke him.

"Annoying," Noeru muttered with a light scowl.

"If I didn't know any better, you're jealous," Yuu's teasing voice appeared next, glancing at the retreating figures of the brunette and the heterochromia boy. "But, you couldn't be. You have no ties to Ayame, right?"

Noeru looked at Yuu's playful appearance blankly. What the hell was he trying to stir up this time?

"None."

* * *

 **A/N:**

A slight break from all the fighting and back to school life for them! Is it obvious on how much I enjoy writing school scenes or shoujo drama ahaha. At this point, Noeru and Yuu are kinda there to fan the flames for Shoto's feelings but hey, those two need it. It still won't be for awhile before they realize their feelings though!

Thank you so much for the overwhelming support last chapter! It felt like this story is getting more recognition and I'm thankful for all the lovely reviews and support each time! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and will continue to support it!

Also, I will write the movie plot in before season 3 since everyone is so welcoming to it! Thank you again!

Reviews are forever loved!


	19. Gear Up for Final Exams

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Ayame did not find it odd when Todoroki ate with them during lunch. She was surrounded by 1-A classmates and her own friends. After his sudden 'rescue' from Noeru, they opt to quietly each lunch together with their rowdy classmates.

Ayame did not find it odd when she saw Todoroki waiting by the entrance of the school building again, one hand shoved in his pocket and face expressionless as he watched the clouds drift by. A part of her had believed he was waiting for her again yet the rational part of her told her she was overthinking _again_.

Until Todoroki really did begin to walk with her out of school.

"I'm picking up the _higashi_ ," Todoroki explained in the simplest manner.

Ayame nearly hit herself.

"Oh—yeah!"

She really did overestimate herself for assuming he was waiting for her just _cause_.

It still does not stop the way Ayame's heart sped up initially in the beginning.

And so, the two walked side by side once more. It wasn't as awkward as Ayame thought it would be. Todoroki, at this point, had walked with her plenty of times before and wasn't rejecting her. It only made her…curious at how often this had happened. Where he had once before refused to acknowledge her, Todoroki was now the one waiting for her.

It was ironic no matter how often Ayame thought about it.

But, she didn't dislike it.

"How are your injuries, senpai?" Todoroki was the one to start off the conversation. Ayame was more amused with the fact that he had been initiating the conversation more often.

"I took a trip to Recovery Girl at lunch," Ayame answered reassuringly, hands clasped behind her back to prevent them from swaying. "She said it will heal in a few more days."

Only the remnants of fatigue still remained and Ayame planned on sleeping early regardless. Although effective, Recovery Girl's Quirk often left her feeling weary and drowsy.

"What about you?" Ayame glanced at his bandaged arm.

"A minor wound," Todoroki shrugged it off. He was the one least injured out of all of them. "It will heal."

Ayame smiled and said nothing more.

The train was quiet as before. They managed to find seats for themselves and the silence of the machinery was beginning to lull her to sleep. It might have been because the injury was concentrated on her head this time that made her feel lethargic. Ayame did sleep a little too much the past few days and was slowly easing back to school life.

Todoroki noticed her silently dozing off but did nothing. She deserved to get some rest anyways. Even if Ayame did fall asleep, he will wake her up for their stop.

What he didn't expect, however, was for the fall of her head to land on his shoulder.

Todoroki tensed but did not move.

He wished she would keep her guard up more.

It can never be completely safe to fall asleep in the train. There was a chance for her to miss a stop, a chance for a robbery, and it was never _safe_ for a girl in general. Not only that, Ayame had fallen on his shoulder; what if it was someone _else_ instead?

For all that Todoroki can reprimand her in his mind; he said none of it out loud. He also made sure for any wandering eyes to stare back just as forwardly, as if daring them to look at the brunette with curiosity or envy. Most would look away after a glance but some took a quick second peek.

Todoroki wished the train ride would go faster.

Although their train commute was not long, given around ten minutes normally, it does not stop him from feeling that the ride was especially longer than usual. The pressure on his shoulder wasn't heavy but—just enough to poke at his consciousness that Ayame was sleeping. Todoroki felt his hand too stiff to move and the back of his neck a little rigid.

But, he still did not move. Todoroki put up with the way his body betrayed his comfort and convinced himself it was because he was tired himself.

Not because of the girl currently resting on his shoulder. Not because Ayame had done the same before but—was on his back rather than by his side. Not because she had whispered words of regret or the way his name left on her lips lingered in his ear even minutes after. It was definitely not because of Ayame.

When the electronic voice finally, _finally_ , announced their arrival station, Ayame stirred.

She blinked the blurry vision from lilac eyes, lifting her head and hand to wipe away the sleep. All of Todoroki's previous musing disappeared as he stood up and carefully took her free hand, leading her out of the train in case she cannot keep up due to her drowsiness.

It wasn't until they left the train station and walked within the city did Ayame realize his hand was still holding hers. She blinked at the way Todoroki held her carefully, almost _naturally_ from all the previous instances, and wondered if he even realized what he was doing.

She fought back another blush and shook those thoughts from mind. Gently, Ayame took her own hand back, causing mismatched eyes to glance at her once before shoving the same hand back into his pocket to rid the empty feeling without it.

They walked in silence. Ayame does not talk as often as others believed. Usually, she would be absorbed in one thing or another, often left in her own world if alone. Most of her walks home _was_ alone. Occasionally, she would stop by the convenience store for a drink or comic and other times, she would wander around the neighborhood to see the stray cats.

As of right now, Todoroki noticed her to be quiet yet observant around her. Just like how she would whisper excitedly to her sister in Hosu City about one shop or another, Ayame was walking through the familiar street with the same light in her eyes. It could be because the nearby café was going to introduce a new drink sometime next week for her excitement. Or, it could be because she saw a cute outfit someone wore walk past her. She kept to herself, believe it or not, and made no indication to interrupt their peace.

The busy city soon changed to a quaint neighborhood. Ayame hadn't realized until now that Todoroki basically…led them. Although they were walking side by side, he was the one to walk through the streets without guidance. If she hadn't known this was only the second time he went over to her house, Ayame would have thought he was a local here.

At that time, a small mewl came from the wall to their right. Ayame blink at the sound and Todoroki glanced at it but quickly, excitement flashed by her face as she figured out the cause. Without hesitation, Ayame grasped Todoroki's hand to drag him further ahead and made a right.

"They're here!"

Todoroki blinked at her sudden charge but followed nonetheless. There were bushes in their view through a small crack between the walls of the houses. Ayame let go and kneeled down, humming quietly to the bushes as Todoroki watched silently behind.

"The stray cat around recently had kittens. I've only seen them a few times the past month and it's been two weeks since I've last seen them! I wonder how much they've grown!" Ayame explained with visible excitement but quickly, she realized her rambling and turned to him with a gasp. "O-oh but—we can go straight home of course—"

"It's fine," Todoroki shrugged and took a step forward. He kneeled down next to Ayame in assurance and held out his left hand. "I don't mind cats."

Her eyes lit up even more at that statement and smiled, turning to the bushes in anticipation. A small head poked out, large green eyes surveying the two humans curiously before short legs stumbled forward. Ayame resisted the gasp at the tiny calico kitten before another one tumbled right after. The kittens were small, just a tad bigger than her hand as it let out another mew. It took all of her willpower to not pick up the kitten then and there.

The first kitten, a white baby with orange and brown patches of fur approached Todoroki first. It sniffed the hand it held out before bumping its furry head onto his palm. Todoroki blinked and his finger tickled the kitten under the chin.

"There's four of them," Ayame counted the little ones staying near the bush. She grinned as another kitten approached her, sniffing her fingers once for approval before jumping onto her lap. Ayame gasped, laughing at how they remember her and petted the kitten with gentle fingers.

Seeing their siblings to welcome the humans, the other two kittens bounced forward. It sniffed both of them cautiously and bumped into their knees but overall, they seemed content with them. Sensing the heat from Todoroki's left side; the two kittens ran and tumbled into his leg for attention.

"They really like you," Ayame giggled, watching one trying to climb onto his leg.

"Ah," Todoroki did seem to be a cat magnet. He remembered a few other times cats had approached him out of their freewill and nuzzling on his left leg. Carefully, he picked up another kitten with orange and black patches on the body, letting it rest on his lap contently while helping the other climb up.

Ayame stared in silent amusement. There was a half smile on Todoroki's lips as he wiggled his fingers around for the kittens, his eyes soft and relaxed as he played with them.

 _Oh no_ , Ayame wondered to herself, _how cute…_

She looked down immediately, forcing the heat from her cheeks and ignored how _cute_ Todoroki looked right now. The kitten on her lap hopped off to join its siblings, jumping on Todoroki's crowded lap while Ayame gasped at the loss. But—once she saw them all bundled up together and rolling around, she couldn't help but soften again at how _cute_ they were.

Ayame stared at them fondly, smiling at the way one of them tried to climb up his arm next. It slowly made its way up and her eyes followed the way the kitten stopped on his shoulder. Lilac met eyes of turquoise and grey suddenly and her breath caught in her throat at the silent—yet deep gaze he held on her.

She hadn't realized she leaned in when Ayame was following the kitten's movement. They weren't at a close distance but—it was _close enough_ to see the way his eyes flicker down—then up again for the briefest second. As for the reason _why_ , Ayame had no clue.

"Ow—"

Ayame winced when she felt her hair tug downwards, both of them snapping out of their daze as she looked at the kitten playing with the ends of her hair. She could not have asked for a better distraction and laughed, focusing her attention back to the tiny feline.

"Why you little," Ayame picked it up, causing the kitten to release her hair from its claws. Large hazel eyes stared back at her curiously and let out a small mew. Ayame's heart nearly melted by its cuteness and she cooed, leaning forward so her nose met the cats'. "You're so cute!"

"Do you have pets, senpai?" Todoroki asked as they returned back to a semblance of calm, mismatched eyes avoiding hers to stare at the two kittens on his lap while helping the kitten off his shoulder.

"No, I wish," Ayame smiled and set her own little kitten back down. It wandered between them and one of its sibling jumped down from Todoroki's lap to tackle it. "Suzume is allergic so we can't keep any furry friends around. I would like one in the future though."

Todoroki hummed in acknowledgement while Ayame continued to watch them play. In the future, she would like to have a cat or two to keep her company when she moves out. Though in reality Ayame would not be leaving her home anytime soon, she often wondered what it would be like to live on her own. If she would be able to sustain herself with her future hero career and if she would stay in Tokyo or leave for another city. The only certain thing she knew would be pets.

A rustling sound came from the bushes and they turned to it curiously, watching another tiny head pop out. Ayame gasped at the white kitten with an orange mark over its left side, looking between the kitten and Todoroki excitedly. They match!

The kitten was nudged forward from the bush and their mother came, stepping out to see her children with the two humans. Ayame cooed again at the cat and held out her hand, smiling as the mother bumped her head against it in familiarity.

"You've been busy, huh?" Ayame giggled at the mother and withdrew her hand to search through her school bag. She pulled out a small piece of leftover rice ball from lunch and offered it to the mother, smiling even more as the cat ate it after one sniff.

"You're prepared," Todoroki couldn't help but comment.

"It's because I've been waiting for them," Ayame grinned cheekily to him. She brought out her phone and took a photo of the mother cleaning herself with a paw. Carefully, she directed the phone over the kittens and took photos of them, smiling whenever they look up at the camera.

The arrival of the new kitten slowly walked in the center of them, wiggling its little tail around at the sight of its sibling before bumping into Todoroki's leg. Ayame gasped and aimed the camera between them.

"Shoto-kun! Pick up the kitty!"

He blinked, wondering why she looked so excited before turning to the cat. Seeing the orange patch over its left eye and ear was enough reason. They look similar.

Making sure the kittens on his lap were stable; he reached over to pick up the calico kitten with both hands. The mother lay down; silently watching yet not worried for her children and licked the one closest to her. Meanwhile, Todoroki held the kitten in front of his face, turning it around so it faced Ayame and looked at her.

"Like this?"

Ayame smiled and nodded her head, not trusting her voice to speak at how utterly cute they both looked. She raised the phone camera up and took a few photos of the two. Todoroki was already good looking and the kitten was absolutely cute. When put together, Ayame couldn't help but think those two were devastatingly _adorable_.

 _It's almost unfair_ , Ayame silently thought again.

The mother cat stood up with a stretch and meowed. Soon, the kittens escaped their grasp and followed their mother back into the bush. Ayame and Todoroki watched them disappear and she sighed at them gone.

"Until next time, neko-chan~" Ayame waved.

"You ready?" Todoroki stood up first and offered a hand to her. Ayame blinked but took it regardless, grasping the warm hand and can understand why the kittens would be attracted to it.

"I'll send you the photos later," Ayame said with a small smile, both continued to the direction of her house.

"Sure," Todoroki returned his hand back into his pocket.

"Ahh, I would like to go to a cat café next time," Ayame sighed dreamily, still missing the tiny fur balls that had rested on her lap earlier.

"There's one on my way home," Todoroki said. He remembers passing by it a few times on his walk back.

"Really?" Ayame asked excitedly. She rarely went to his way of the city before.

"Yeah," Todoroki glanced at her. "I'll take you next time."

Ayame thought she misheard. Her wide lilac eyes stared at his impassive face, trying to see if he was joking with her and yet, Todoroki showed no sign of it. When he says something, he meant it.

"You—will?" Ayame still couldn't help but repeat.

They arrived in front of her house when Ayame asked the question. Todoroki merely nodded as both of them stood outside the gate. Ayame felt too shocked to even register she was home.

"I don't mind," he quietly reassured. The cats were cute anyways, he convinced himself. Todoroki did not mind them climbing over his lap or asking for scratches. They were therapeutic creatures that do not demand for much.

Plus, Ayame seemed to enjoy playing with them.

"O-okay!" Ayame stuttered, mentally cursing how easy it was for to feel flustered around him.

Todoroki spared her a glance, the corner of his lips lifting upward by the pink tinting her cheeks and nodded his head in silent agreement.

"See you tomorrow, Ayame-senpai."

It wasn't until after he left—did Ayame realize—she forgot to give the _higashi_ back to him.

* * *

" _Okaeri_ , Shoto!"

Fuyumi's voice welcomed him back home warmly, grey eyes staring at her little brother while the smile on her lips was polite.

"You've been returning home later and later."

Shoto took off his shoes at the doorstep, glancing at his smiling sister once. The sun had barely set and although he took a detour, he still returned home by dinner.

"I've set aside some food for you, are you hungry now? Otou-san is not back yet but you can eat first if you're hungry," Fuyumi continued naturally, used to Shoto's quiet mood.

He paused for a second, knowing that his sister was trying not to pry into his business and knew she was secretly worried for his extended stay outside. It wasn't like he did anything worth mentioning. He only walked his upperclassman home…and completely forgot to retrieve the confectionaries due to his distracted state earlier.

Shoto couldn't help but silently compare the two. He remembered Suzume's happy greeting to Ayame every time she returned. He remembered the warmth of their mother's smile as Ayame said she was back. And, he remembered their conversation and Ayame's optimistic outlook for his own family to become close once more.

"Did you eat, nee-san?"

Fuyumi tried not to gape. This was the first time her youngest brother had asked that of her!

"N-no, not yet."

"Then, let's eat."

Fuyumi tried to contain her joy. A bright smile was on her face as she nodded her head, glasses nearly slipping from the bridge of her nose as she headed to the kitchen.

"Fuyumi-nee," the woman nearly slipped on the polished floor by the call of her name. She turned to Shoto again with wide eyes, watching him slowly walk in. " _Tadaima_."

The burst of affection and happiness in her heart grew. Fuyumi grinned, resisting the urge to hug her adorable little brother and nodded her head.

" _Okaeri_ , Shoto!"

"You've already said that," he pointed out with a ghost of a smile, causing Fuyumi to blank and laugh off the embarrassment.

The dinner between them was quiet and although it was not often they would share a meal together, Shoto did not mind the silence. Fuyumi had asked a few questions here and there about school and Shoto replied in his usual, simple manner. Although Shoto was quiet, Fuyumi did not mind. There was no tension between them like before and her little brother was not terse like their father.

At least, not anymore.

After dinner, Shoto went to wash up and change into his usual pajamas. He threw the white shirt over his head and adjusted his shorts, a blue towel hanging around his neck as he sat down on the tatami mat. As he rubbed the dripping water from his hair and carefully activated his Flame Quirk to dry the rest, his eyes landed on his phone by the table. He tapped it once, the screen brightening to show no new messages. Shoto locked the phone again and began on his homework.

For the next hour, he worked on the assignments quietly. Shoto tapped his pencil along the wooden table, one hand rested on his chin as he read the question over. Occasionally, his mismatched eyes would land on the still silent phone before he turned his attention back to the paperwork on hand.

Another few minutes passed in the quiet room and Shoto's mind began to wander. He thought back to earlier in the day when he played with the multiple kittens, their mews squeaky and soft, and the sound of an amused laughter echoed in the background. He thought back to the cat café he passed on the way home, wondering what time they would open on the weekends and how much it would cost to visit the 'neko-chan's within.

A buzz vibrated on the table, snapping his thoughts back to reality and the pencil slipped from his fingers. Shoto took his smartphone and unlocked the screen, seeing a message with an attachment as the first notification. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he opened the message, quickly saving the two photos within his phone and his fingers hovered over a reply to the recipient.

It was then Shoto noticed the new profile photo as her avatar. The little circle revealed two tiny calico kittens, wide hazel and green eyes staring at the screen. Another easy smile slipped from his lips as he recognized one of the kittens to be the one matching with him and the other kitten was the first to approach her.

He replied to her with two simple words. Words that weren't exactly enough to describe the light state he was in but it was enough to show he received the message. Briefly, he wondered if he should attempt to pick up the _higashi_ again tomorrow.

* * *

"There is one week left until end of term tests," Ume announced in the morning.

Before the students can even adjust back to school, their final exams were around the corner. It was June; the weather turning warmer by the day and students will be changing to the summer uniform soon. The second years had to turn in a separate report for their homeroom teachers regarding their interns and, if their respective agency agrees, then they will return during summer vacation.

Ayame mentally sweated. Not only were her final exams happening in one week, her previous agency won't accept her! Yume had already informed her in the hospital that her agency won't be able to take her in anymore. That means Ayame have to find another hero willing to work with her! Although they would not know her involvement regarding the Hero Killer, Ayame already felt a headache forming trying to research agencies again.

Well, she can worry about that later. Now, she must focus on her own studies!

In 2-A's academic score rating, Ayame was right in the middle. She was not _failing_ per say—but she could also do better. It was just—difficult for her to absorb any information in! She tries to study, really, she does! But lately, it had been hectic with the Sports Festival and the internship happening that Ayame was…slacking off again. But at least this time—it wasn't because she was focused on her anime or video games!

"For this year's exam, we will be doing something a little different," Ume continued with the instructions, glancing down at the paper on hand as everyone quietly waited for her. "Each will have a partner they must work with during the practical examination. I will be the one assigning them—and they can't be changed."

The class whispered amongst themselves with the clue regarding the exam. Last year, they were in teams of three fighting against the giant robots used for their entrance exam. However, since they're already in their second year of U.A., the fighting would probably be more intense than before. Since most of the class already experienced some real hero work, the students were not nervous for this year's test.

And so, Ume began to call out two people's name at a time. Everyone listened off to the teams being announced. There were only eighteen students in 2-A yet as the number went higher, Ayame still haven't heard her name yet.

For some reason…she had a bad feeling for her partner.

"And, for team 9, it will be Sasaki Ayame and Takarada Noeru."

Her jaws dropped opened. Ayame turned her gaze towards the boy sitting in the front but Noeru had no reaction. She opened her mouth to argue yet Ume had said their partners can't be changed. Ayame really wanted to know—what were the credentials in partners then?!

"Oh no," Ayame groaned to herself, her head falling onto the metal table in discontent. "I'm going to fail."

Hotaru smiled helplessly to her friend to her right.

As the bell for lunch rang, Ayame quickly hopped up to chase after Ume. Even if she said they couldn't change partners, she had to try—right?!

"Soharu-sensei!"

The woman turned around, looking at the taller girl gasping for breath as Ayame brushed her hair back. She straightened up and looked at her hopefully, clasping her hands together.

"I-I think there was a mistake. My partner—isn't Takarada, right?" Ayame asked with a nervous smile.

"Oh, there's no mistake," Ume returned the smile with one of her own professional one, "You and Takarada-san are partners for the final exam. As I said before, your partners can't be changed."

Ayame gaped. Did her teacher _forget_ what happened during the grand finals for the Sports Festival?! Sure—she and Takarada weren't as hostile anymore but—being in his presence was simply nerve-wrecking!

"But why?!" Ayame blurted out.

Because they have the worst chemistry in class even after one year together. But Ume did not say that out loud, keeping the polite smile on her lips as she patted Ayame's arm comfortingly.

"You can't be a successful hero if you cannot work well with others," Ume advised, "This is very crucial to your education. As so, Aizawa-sensei and I agreed to pause your assistant work for the time being so you can study for the finals and the upcoming tests."

Well, at least there was that little saving grace. But, Ayame was still disappointed. She—had to work with—Takarada?!

Ume left when Ayame had no more questions, leaving the brunette in the hall to ponder her options. They still do not know what their final exam would be. If their partnership was notified one week in advance…then they can't afford to avoid each other.

Ayame spun on her heels and headed towards the cafeteria, trying to look for the Takarada heir with his sparkling hair and tall structure. She found him walking towards one of the table and quickly, Ayame ran over before she lost him in the crowd, grabbing onto the edge of his sleeve and tugged him back.

"Takarada!"

Noeru moved his hand instinctively, glancing back to see the brunette holding on. A frown was on his lips as he raised the hand in her grasp, a silent indication for her to let go.

"You heard Soharu-sensei in class, right?" But Ayame continued on without taking the hint, looking into crystal eyes seriously. "We're—partners. I think for this week—we should try to get along with each other."

Noeru nearly scoffed. Why would _he_ want to get along with _her_? Ayame was already lucky he's not antagonizing her any longer. Noeru was content with going back to ignoring her. If Yuu wanted to be friends, that's his issue. If Noeru happened to be with Yuu when they interact, he won't purposely provoke her. Isn't that good enough already?

"We don't need to get along, Sasaki," Noeru rejected. "As long as you don't get in my way, we will pass."

Her eyebrows furrowed in restrained anger. Damn Takarada. He was still haughty as before!

"Did you forget? I beat you in the Sports Festival! I can hold my own!"

Ayame was nearly screaming in the cafeteria now, catching the nearby student's attention as she argued with Noeru. Off on the side, Yuu watched from his table with one hand propped on his chin as if he were watching a television series. Another few tables down, the students from 1-A watched their upperclassmen fight.

Noeru glared but said nothing. He may be prideful in his abilities but Ayame winning was something he tried to brush from his mind. Lately, he found himself thinking about her a little _too_ much. It was not in the previous sense of loathing and disappointment but rather—a new outlook at this fiery girl who was not afraid to challenge him.

And, because of that, Noeru thought the best plan would be going back to _ignore_ her. He does not want to ponder over her any longer. He does not want to understand why he disliked the view of the bandages around her head. Dislike the way his stomach fluttered at the sight of her with those 1-A kids. And despite all of his logical actions and plans to disregard her, they still end up in each other's company.

"Look, if Soharu-sensei announced the teams this early—isn't it because the final exams planned for us would require teamwork?" Ayame explained rationally, calming down to speak with him since Noeru was not making way to leave. "I'm not asking us to suddenly be best friends. But, it _would_ be nice if you can acknowledge me for once."

He stayed quiet. Ayame refused to budge on the subject and Noeru rolled over her words in his mind. Maybe—this would be the beginning of his school life. A second chance to be… _involved_ with his classmates.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the half-and-half boy standing up from his seat. The uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach knotted itself around as Noeru saw her lilac eyes slowly turn away.

The irritation was back on full force. The desire to almost accept was gone. Noeru jerked his sleeve away from her grasp, causing Ayame to turn back to him in surprise as he glared down at her.

"Then tell me, what did you say to my father? If you want to work with me, I expect no secrets."

Ayame gaped again. He was bringing that up now?!

"It—It was nothing!" Ayame barely squeaked out.

His crystal eyes narrowed more at her flustered expression.

"You're lying again, Sasaki."

Ayame clenched her hands. This boy—he's so unreasonable! She's actually trying to do him a favor and yet—he's still rejecting her!

"I give up!" Ayame was exasperated; what was the point in her trying if they always end up arguing? "Come find me when you decide to descend from your _throne_ and learn how to be civil!"

Ayame turned to walk away, not bothering to speak with him any longer. Noeru stared at her retreating back, unrelenting with his decision before—his eyes met grey and turquoise. With a small tilt of his chin, Noeru returned back the challenge to him just as persistent.

As for what the challenge was exactly, neither seemed to know.

* * *

Since Ayame was not required to help Aizawa for the next two weeks, she focused on her studies rather than visiting class 1-A. Hotaru was more than welcomed to help Ayame study, nearly bringing the brunette to tears by her friend's consideration and worked just as hard.

What she didn't expect, however, was for Shimizu Yuu to join them on the little study session.

"Well, it's because we're partners," Yuu smiled at Hotaru in his usual princely smile.

Ayame didn't believe that to be the only excuse but kept to herself. Yuu had returned back to his elegant kind self but sometimes, Ayame could see the teasing in his eyes as he regard her. Not many others knew of Yuu's dual personality and Ayame wasn't going to be the one to point it out. Yuu was a great actor; he can easily dissuade the claims with a smile and eloquent words.

But since Yuu had joined them, many other classmates also seek guidance from the second in their class. Their little group of three suddenly turned into ten but, Ayame wasn't complaining. Everyone was obviously worried about their own grades and it was not like they were terrible on all subjects.

But, it had been a taxing few days already and Noeru _still_ won't approach her.

Time and time again, Ayame thought about apologizing to him first. But even if she did, Ayame felt it was unfair! Why should she be the one to apologize when he was the one being rude?! It was only because she did not want to fail the final exam or else she would have to stay behind for supplementary classes! It left Ayame feeling distressed and annoyed at their class president, often staring—then glaring at him to _do_ something!

Noeru, of course, ignored her.

Ayame groaned, brushing back her tan hair from her face as she walked through the first year's hallway. There's three days left until the written exam and she was simply _tired_. It wasn't like she slacked off or anything. There were a few minutes left before class began and she was going to see how the students were doing.

"Yo!"

The door opened to reveal Ayame, startling the students within as they stared at their upperclassman. It had been awhile since she visited 1-A and everyone was preoccupied with studying for their own exams. Briefly, Ayame scanned the classroom to see Todoroki missing but—she wasn't about to center on that little detail.

"Morning, senpai!" A few of them had greeted with bright smiles yet tired eyes. Looks like she's not the only one dreading the exams.

"What are you doing here, senpai?" Ochako asked curiously when Ayame hopped in.

"Checking to see if you're as miserable as me," Ayame grinned back when a few others moaned about the upcoming finals.

"Training camp! This is all for the training camp!" Kaminari and Ashido shouted together in determination.

"Yaomomo has been helping us study," Jirou smiled at their tutor, "I think we'll manage."

"It's my pleasure!" Yaoyorozu was enthusiastic before looking down dejectedly. "At least—I was able to help somewhat."

Ayame blinked at her change in mood but she didn't have to do anything when Jirou and Ashido went to cheer her up. She smiled to herself and walked inside, searching through her book bag briefly and pulled out a plastic cover.

"Well, I'm not here for long," Ayame stopped by Midoriya's desk while the younger boy looked at her curiously. "Here, Deku-kun! I saw this and thought of you!"

Midoriya gawked at the All Might book cover, looking at Ayame in a mix of gratitude and uncertainty before the latter won over. He waved his hands around, blushing from the sudden gesture and refusing to take the small present.

"N-no! I-I can't—! Y-you didn't have to—senpai—!" Midoriya fumbled.

Ayame laughed, bright and cheerful just as they remembered and put the cover on his desk. She brought her hands behind her back, a small gesture to refuse any returns, and smiled.

"Don't worry about it! It wasn't expensive. Besides, your notebook is all worn out, right?" Ayame reasoned.

Midoriya's blush grew darker, thinking back to his hero notebook and the ripped cover. Bakugo grew irritated in his own chair for the conversation behind him and turned to glare at the brunette.

"Are you done yet? Leave!"

"Oh, Kacchan, you're always so charming," Ayame rolled her eyes. She looked at Bakugo's annoyed expression and grinned, leaning down slightly to pat his spiky blonde hair. "Did you want a present, too? I didn't see anything to your liking yet but—"

Bakugo slapped her hand away with another glare, shooting out of his seat to wave his fist angrily at her.

"Who wants a present from _you_?! I'll trash that and then you if you do!"

"How mean!"

The students left Bakugo and Ayame to argue with each other yet it became a normal scene for them. There seemed to never be a dull moment with their upperclassman around; they hadn't realized how used to they were with Ayame. It felt as if she became a part of the class.

At that time, the door to the classroom opened. A few looked towards the entrance before—a stunned silence washed over the class at the student leaning on the door. The only sound in the room was Ayame and Bakugo still arguing pointlessly over presents that doesn't make sense anymore.

"S-s-senpai…!"

"Hold on, Deku-kun," Ayame did not break her glaring contest with Bakugo, "Lemme finish this with Kacchan then—"

" _Sasaki_."

Ayame gaped, whirling around to see the impassive face of her class president leaning on the open door. Bakugo clicked his tongue and sat back down, ignoring them again with arms crossed over his chest. Meanwhile, the class looked between the two upperclassmen. Some were amused, some confused, and a few were openly admiring the tall frame and clear aristocratic features of the Takarada heir.

"We were supposed to meet at the gym," Noeru stated.

"Oh—!" Ayame snapped out of her shock, but just barely. Ume did mention for the class to meet up in the gym in the morning.

But why was _he_ the one informing her? Her mind was racing with possibilities of Noeru having a change of heart. Was he here to confront her? Here to apologize? Maybe they can finally be proper teammates?

A grin emerged on her lips at that thought as she hopped over to the door. Ayame ignored the teasing looks from a few of the boys, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the way Kaminari, Sero, and Kirishima was looking at them, and looked behind her to wave at the rest of the class.

"I'll be going now! Good luck on your finals!"

"Have fun, senpai!" The boys snickered behind her.

Noeru did not bother to wait and turned around to leave. Ayame walked a step faster, catching up to him and peering at his emotionless face.

"Oi, Takarada!" Ayame caught his attention, "I know you're not completely heartless. Let's try to be teammates, alright?"

He paused in his steps when Ayame went ahead of him, turning around and offering one hand up to shake. She was smiling at him hopefully and must have reached a ridiculous conclusion if she was this _kind_ to him.

"As soon as you tell me what you've said to my father, then we can," Noeru bargained coolly.

Her hand dropped, mouth opening in shock as he stared down at her. She thought he had changed!

"Why don't you ask him yourself?!" Ayame was really confused; why would be pester her like this instead?

Noeru frowned. He wasn't desperate enough to ask his father that. They were still distant as before but at least, his father would not provoke him into leaving U.A. All because of this _girl_ in front of him.

"Then we have no deal," he did not bother to answer her question.

Ayame fumed. Of _course_ Noeru would be the one to anger her the fastest. There goes her good mood!

"Not even for a day?!" Ayame clenched her hands, "I don't want to fail if we can't work together!"

"We won't fail," Noeru replied in a haughty manner. "As long as you listen to my directions, we _won't_."

She glared at him this time, causing crystal eyes to return the glare fully. Ayame had already proven her worth to him. She had beaten him fair and square!

"I may have some ideas too, you know," Ayame seethed.

"Like your idea to fight against the Hero Killer yourself?" Noeru hummed. Ayame froze. It wasn't like she was alone! And—he doesn't even know the full story! "Can you create that giant All Might by command? Can guarantee you would not faint after your Quirk overuse?"

Ayame can hear his accusations even if he does not say it clearly. Noeru doesn't trust her. Simple as that. No matter how much she had improved, in his eyes, she was still the same girl he met during their entrance exam.

"You're impossible," Ayame glared; she has no reason to argue with him any longer if he continued to point out her past. "I was really hoping we could be…teammates if not _friends_." Ayame turned around to walk away. "Guess I was too optimistic."

Noeru stared at her back, an itch rubbing itself in his stomach at her quiet murmur. He does not want to get close to her yet he called out to her as soon as he saw her in 1-A. Noeru wanted to ignore her and yet was always aware of her stares. His goal to be in U.A. was to become number one; to become a hero. Now that the restrictions were lifted from his shoulders; Noeru does not know _how_ to be anything else.

He took a step forward and his hand lifted up, wanting to prove her wrong and try— _really try_ —to apologize. Yet, Noeru couldn't even reach her when that damn half-and-half boy appeared out of nowhere, bringing Ayame's attention to him while Todoroki gave a suspicious glance to the hand in midair—then back to the brunette.

Noeru saw the way his eyes softened just the slightest, greeting her with a slight upturn of his lips while Ayame's bright laugh echoed the hall. She was back to her cheerful self, as if none of their argument even happened. Noeru's hand dropped back to his side quietly only to have it tighten into a fist.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Some time skip happened in the middle of the chapter to get to the final exams. I wanna write more cute high school scenes but I'll leave that for their summer break. Noeru and Yuu are back in the picture again with the 2-A finals! The former is obviously there to stir trouble and Yuu is there to look pretty—nojk.

OH! So I did test out writing 'Shoto' in the chapter and how do you guys feel about reading that? I know mostly everyone is referred to their surname in Japan/BnHA but I was just wondering I should stick to it in the later chapters. Sorry for all the train scenes or so! I did go to Tokyo, Japan, awhile back and really enjoyed experiencing life there. A bit of that may have been thrown into this fic ahaha

I've been feeling a bit burnt out writing so much lately; every chapter since ch6 ranges from 7k words to 11k. I think I also need to focus on my other 2 stories as I've been neglecting them in favor of BnHA. I'll still try to update often of course! Reviews would be a huge motivation /winkwink

Visit my Instagram ( **PrivateCardy** ) for cute art of my lone AyaSho ship!


	20. Final Exams!

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

At the end of the day, Ayame decided to leave home first instead of staying for the study group. There was still the weekend for her to do some self-study but really, Ayame was simply tired. Their class president was still being brash and rude, constantly refusing her offer and went back to ignoring her.

If Noeru was that confident in his abilities, then Ayame will leave him to it. That doesn't mean she's going to completely comply. Ayame does care about being a hero. She also does not want to fail. But, she's not going to allow him to walk all over her if she can help it.

"He's still a jerk," Ayame mumbled to herself.

"Who is?"

Ayame startled, looking up from her brooding to see Todoroki sitting on one of the benches. At the sight of her, he stood up and began to walk with her out of school. Ayame wondered if he had been waiting long. Due to their busy schedules, she had not walked with him again since last time. Earlier this morning was actually the first time they had really seen each other. She figured their meetup was a coincidence.

"My stupid class pres," Ayame sighed as they walked to the train station.

Oh, Todoroki knew. He just wanted to hear her say it.

"Ah, I keep forgetting to bring you the _higashi_ ," Ayame groaned, hand raised to smack her forehead but a warm hand moved to intercept. Ayame froze, her hand dropping and Todoroki carefully moved his own away. Her injuries were nearly healed now; no patches or bandages required and the cuts were left open to heal. It would not scar, Recovery Girl reassured, but it will still take a few days for it to fade.

"I can go pick it up after the finals," Todoroki suggested. He was in no rush for it. Lately, he had been too busy himself to visit his mother in the hospital but he still writes her letters.

"That won't be for another week," Ayame shook her head, "That means another week of fending it away from my family."

There was a slight smile on his lips as he caught onto Ayame's pout. Todoroki hadn't the chance to offer the second box to her yet; the timing was not right. Ayame would refuse it initially, anyways.

"How is your study going? Are you confident with the tests?" Ayame asked curiously. It had been awhile since they were able to talk. She wondered what Todoroki had been up to.

"Yeah," Todoroki nodded his head. "It's not difficult since the written exams are based off the lectures. As long as we pay attention, it'll be easy to pass."

Ayame sweated. How can he say that as 'easy'? Ayame had trouble remembering most of the material and had to review them at least _twice_ to remember it by heart. And yet…Todoroki gave off a superior air even without trying.

"Ah, I'm so jealous." But it wasn't like he's flaunting it anyways… "Can you attend my class and pass for me?"

Ayame nudged him playfully, laughing at the end of her statement while the side of his lips quirked up. Todoroki wondered back to the past week, remembering the fight she had with her class president and the smile disappeared. It seemed as though she was having issues with her own class. Todoroki remembered that Takarada boy to be the grand finalist as well; both fighting without holding back while shouting words too far for him to hear.

" _Takarada-senpai…really hates Sasaki-senpai."_

Shoji would have been the only one to hear the conversation but even he was uncertain with the context. Todoroki couldn't help but be curious. Those two, though rivals, were also intimate in a way that can be easily mistaken for something else. He was not oblivious to the way his classmates openly tease Ayame and her relationships with the two 'princes'. He can understand why misunderstands may occur. Ayame often leaves herself too _unguarded_.

And that gave him an uncomfortable feeling within his gut. Todoroki does not understand why.

He only knew that her two classmates were taking advantage of her kindness. Ayame had tried plenty of times to befriend her class president. The Shimizu heir often teases her with light touches and playful smirks.

Ayame was simply too kind for her own good. That was why Todoroki often interferes. Those boys weren't suitable for her.

"I think you'll be fine," Ayame wondered out loud, breaking Todoroki from his thoughts about her—and her class representatives. "You always do well in any situation."

"Oh," Todoroki blinked, mismatched eyes slowly looking away from her bright ones. Ayame often compliments them but—it must have been because he had not seen her in awhile that he felt…surprised. "You—too."

Ayame tilted her head at his quiet response, noticing the slight hesitation on his part. But, it wasn't insulting or anything. He almost looked… _shy_.

"Hopefully," Ayame sighed, "My partner for the practical exam is the stupid class pres. I've been trying to get close but—he keeps rejecting me."

Todoroki glanced at her. So that was the main reason he kept seeing those two around. Noeru often does somehow manage to say something to provoke Ayame but…earlier today… Todoroki still remembers the way the boy's hand lifted up as if to stop Ayame… If Todoroki had not appeared at that time…what would have happened?

The knot in his stomach continued to twist and turn.

"He's not a bad person," Ayame continued, oblivious to her companion's shift in mood as she ruffled the back of her long hair. "He's just…driven…and arrogant…but strong…irksome…"

"Do you like him, senpai?"

Todoroki wanted her to stop yet the question that left his lips was the one farthest from his mind. His hand twitched, mentally cursing himself for the impulsive question. He did not want to know.

Ayame stopped walking to stare at him in bewilderment. Lilac eyes were widened in alarm, a look of surprise and maybe—confusion? It was better than her blushing, Todoroki decided.

"Of course not! I barely know him!"

Todoroki thought otherwise. They seem to know each other _quite_ well.

"I mean—it _would_ be nice if he actually listens to others for once but—he's too prideful to change," Ayame grimaced, remembering their previous argument all too well. She wondered if Noeru still viewed her as the same, careless girl from their first year. But—he couldn't—right? He said—he doesn't hate her anymore. That was why Ayame…felt the need to approach him again.

As much of a jerk Takarada Noeru was, Ayame can see _some_ good qualities of his. He was responsible to his duties and diligent in his work. Even though he lost against her, Ayame finally understood the reason for his hatred. And—even with his massive amount of pride, he did not hate her even more for it. The rare times she thought he had accepted her—might have been because she _did_ prove herself to him.

Then why was he still acting like a jerk as before?

Ayame sighed, unable to come up with an answer. It was no use pondering over her class representative when he does not bother to reciprocate at all. She only knew his previous drive to be number one; Ayame does not know him beyond that.

"I was afraid you were just like him in the beginning," Ayame confessed to Todoroki, noticing his mismatched eyes widen just the slightest by her quiet remark. "But…you're not. You were able to reexamine yourself and… _change_. I'm—really glad that you did."

Todoroki didn't instantly reply. It took him a few seconds to register what she meant. He disliked being compared to that Takarada heir; he does not want her to see him the same—and Ayame doesn't. Because he had changed, ever so slightly, he had changed enough to be more welcoming with his classmates. For others to approach him first without hesitation anymore.

And it was because of her.

If Takarada Noeru cannot see Ayame's good intentions, then Todoroki Shoto would not allow her be taken advantage of.

"Yeah," Todoroki finally agreed, holding onto her gaze with a newfound resolve that caused her heart to skip a beat. "I am, too."

* * *

The remaining days until the final exams passed by in a blur. The written exams lasted for three days, leaving Ayame near tears every time as she answered every question the best she can. Luckily, Hotaru (and Yuu's) tutoring proved to be useful as she was able to answer at least two-thirds of the exams. The rest were left for luck.

Due to their busy schedule, Ayame did not visit 1-A again. They may have passed by in the hall once or twice and during lunch; Ayame was stuck in her classroom reviewing her notes. The group chat was still active so Ayame was able to read up on their conversation during the very little free time she had. She would reply once in awhile, letting them know she was doing well and cheered for their exams. In return, most of the students also replied with the same fervor.

Ayame smiled again. Her kouhais were so cute.

On the fourth day, it was time for their practical examination.

Noeru and Ayame did not bother to speak again. She gave up completely this time. It had been nearly two months since the Sports Festival and she truly believed Noeru stopped hating her. Though they had argued less initially, he was back to his same, curt self when speaking with her.

It was weird because Noeru felt the same—yet _not_.

Before, he would look down at her for completely unfair reasons and Ayame could sense the hostility from his glare every time. Now, Noeru still had his trademark frown up but his words were guarded yet inquiring at the same time. It wasn't until Ayame had time to sit down and review their conversations did she realize the difference.

It was just— _weird_.

With a sigh, the class changed into their hero uniforms and met up with Ume on the outskirts of the school. They were in the same ruined city they often had practice in. Yet what greeted them was the sight of eight other professors standing by Ume.

Ayame gaped.

What was her uncle doing here?

"Hello, everyone!" President Nezu greeted from Ume's shoulder, bringing the eighteen student's attention to the little mouse with a start. "You all look so surprised!"

"P-president!" Usagi whispered in astonishment.

"You all had one week to review with your partner," Ume said with a smile, "Although the practical test was unknown, I hope you all were able to set aside your differences to prepare for the final examination!"

Ayame swore Ume looked at her and Noeru.

"Originally, U.A. students would not fight against their professors until the end of their second year. However, we have decided that _all_ the students need to improve their skills…" President Nezu explained.

"And what better way than to have you fight against us!" Midnight finished with a giggled but—the sharp and teasing look in her eyes gave them chills.

"We are?!"

Ayame gulped and looked at Aizawa. He had his usual expression on his face and returned her gaze. Slowly, a smirk spread onto his lips and Ayame gaped. They were serious!

"The tests will be taken one team at a time. The objective…is to either capture us, the villains, or rescue the civilians," Ume continued. "Another group will act as the captured civilians; you won't be graded for that except to just sit still and wait to be rescued."

"Don't fear! There is only one villain against the team! But, you won't know who the villain is!" Present Mic laughed loudly.

"And, we will be handicapped," President Nezu reassured, motioning for Cementoss to pull out some wristbands and handcuffs. "The weights will slow down our speed. These handcuffs are for you to attach to us."

"You will have 10 minutes to prepare! The first team will be Hotaru-chan and Yuu-kun! The 'captured' civilians will be team nine, Ayame-chan and Noeru-kun!" Midnight announced with a wicked smile.

"Good luck, everyone!"

* * *

They were taken somewhere in an old abandoned building as hostages. Ayame had her hands bound behind her back and her feet tied up as she sat on the concrete floor. Behind her, Noeru was in the same position, playing as 'hostages' for their friends to come and rescue them.

The room was silent and dark, neither speaking with each other and Ayame knew she had to be the one to break the silence. Ayame did not want to fail and she was pretty sure Noeru does not either. He still has the reputation as the top of their class to uphold.

"Can we try to cooperate now?" Ayame asked with a whisper.

Silence.

Ayame frowned to herself; there was no way he wouldn't have heard her.

"You heard them; we'll be fighting one of them later. I know you're strong by yourself but I can help," Ayame mumbled.

Noeru still did not speak.

Ayame wanted to shake him. She shifted on her bottom to turn around, facing Noeru's straight back with a frown and nudged him with her bound hands. Immediately, his head turned to glare at her but Ayame refused to budge.

"Do you still hate me?"

That caught Noeru's attention. He turned his head back around to ignore her but Ayame noticed the way his back went even more rigid by her question. A spark of hope emerged as she faced his back.

"I don't hate you," Ayame said lightly, "Well I don't exactly _like_ you either but that's not the point now. I think you're capable but have a tendency to close yourself off. It makes sense, I guess, considering your own circumstances but it's still unfair how you blamed it on me."

Ayame was rambling. Since Noeru was not speaking, she took the initiative to fill the silence in the space. Noeru was actually a good company when he's not constantly glaring and insulting others. Right now, she just wanted to rant since he was not bothering to stop her.

"If you're still here…does that mean your father lifted the rules?" She continued to wonder out loud. "Congrats, by the way. I never said that, too. You're still a jerk but I know you'll be a good hero in the future."

"Sasaki."

Ayame startled, turning towards Noeru with a shock. She wasn't expecting him to speak up. Noeru shifted his position to face her now, a blank expression on his face yet his crystal eyes were quietly studying hers.

"Why are you trying so hard?"

Ayame blinked.

"Cause we're classmates," she answered as a matter of fact, "If you give others a chance, they will do the same to you."

Plus, they hadn't the chance to help Noeru last year. He was left alone to become the top himself. Ayame knew Noeru must have worked hard to keep that position. Even if Yuu may have been the one to give up his position in the Sports Festival, Noeru still appeared in the grand finals with his own powers.

Noeru hesitated. He does not know _how_ to give others a chance. Usually, people flock to him, not the other way around. They approach him because of his heritage, of his powers, of his company—but never because of _him_. Yuu had to be the one to mediate for his sharp rejects and curt nature. Yuu was always the better one in relations and hospitality. Noeru was lucky Yuu was his childhood friend.

But Yuu was not here right now.

"I—"

The door slammed open, breaking both of them from their conversation to look at the source of light. A surprised expression was on Hotaru's face before it broke into a grin, running inside to cut the ties off Ayame's hands, then Noeru's.

" _The civilians have been saved!"_ An electronic voice echoed through the building.

Hotaru and Ayame cheered together. The brunette gave her friend a hug, smiling widely to be free from constraints and her friend to pass the exam. Noeru quietly got up, listening at how Yuu was the one to create an opportunity for Hotaru to find them.

When Ayame turned around to look at Noeru, he was already walking away. A flash of disappointment flew by her face as she stared at his retreating back. Whatever he wanted to say before Hotaru appeared…was completely gone.

* * *

Ayame sighed.

The remaining teams' fight passed by without instances as she watched the large screen before her with interest. So far, everyone was able to either capture the teachers or rescue the students. Mostly, they avoided a head on fight and focused on rescuing the others.

Ayame was really jealous. All of them worked so well together! The only animosity in their class was her and Noeru! She really wished she could have gotten Hotaru as her partner, or Usagi…or Natsumi…hell, she'll even settle with Gin! But no, her partner was Noeru…who had disappeared as soon as they were 'rescued'.

And…there was another troubling issue.

She had not seen Aizawa fight yet.

All the teachers so far had made an appearance once. Even President Nezu had fought against the students… But…her uncle still did not show up on the screen. There was a slow realization dreading within the pit of her stomach that her opponent might be Eraser Head himself…

" _Team 9, please proceed to the stage."_

Ayame groaned but stood up regardless, waving to the classmates that wished her luck and headed onto the 'stage'. It was really just the starting line for the teams to gather at before they go hunt the villain or search for the hostages.

She brushed back her tan hair and adjusted the starry cape that had been fixed for the second time already. Ayame was starting to regret adding a cape onto her costume but she liked how it flowed behind her in battle! Maybe she should reconsider…but the fiber woven within was a rare one…but it'll cost extra if it keeps getting repaired!

Ayame resisted another groan and merely tied up her hair for now. She can figure out her costume later. Right now, she must pass her practical exam first.

"Hey," Ayame greeted Noeru walking up to her. He glanced at her once, barely an acknowledgement if you asked Ayame but—it was better than nothing. "You probably know but…I guess we'll be fighting my uncle."

Noeru hummed in agreement. Aizawa was the only one that has not shown up on in the test yet. His Quirk to erase their powers was already a nuisance. Ayame had learned firsthand, many times, to be on the receiving end of it. She suppressed another groan; Ayame never won against her uncle once!

" _Ready… Start!"_

"Okay—I know his attack patterns the best. Oji-san prefers sneak attacks and a quick capture. We should keep moving regardless of fighting him in a straight hand-to-hand combat or finding the hostages first," Ayame quickly explained.

Noeru was already moving. Although it does not show, he was actively listening as Ayame continued to explain Aizawa's fighting style. It was something he already had knowledge of but Ayame went more in depth. It showed that she does have experience fighting him but…

"Have you ever won against him, Sasaki?" Noeru finally asked, one crystal eye glanced at her before turning their attention to the building around them.

Ayame startled, her confidence dwindling as she looked down.

"N-not exactly…"

She mentally winced. Ugh, he's gonna insult her again!

But…no insult came. Noeru only hummed, contemplating but _not_ insulting. Ayame thought someone else possessed Noeru.

He was not going to argue with Ayame for the moment. During their brief break before their turn, he had been thinking. It does not help that Yuu had been the little devil whispering in his ear about the good traits of Ayame. Does not help that Noeru had been wavering in his decision to… _confide_ in her.

That damn girl does not give up. No matter how dismissive he had been to her, Ayame would still approach him with hope. Even though every time she left feeling frustrated, she would try again the next time. It was weakening Noeru's resolve to possibly— _maybe_ —listen to her once. He knew she had changed from last year. He knew she was strong; always had been. But ever since the aftermath of the Sports Festival, he knew _she_ must have done something for his continued education in U.A.

In reality, Noeru was just inexperienced in apologies and gratitude.

"Search the high grounds," Noeru instructed first, "The buildings will hinder his sight and movement."

"Wha—what if he erases my Quirk?" Ayame nearly agreed but at the thought of falling down without a safety net made her hesitate.

"I'll catch you, obviously."

Arrogant, certain, and firm. Somehow, Ayame believed he would. If Noeru said he would do something, he will follow through.

Ayame imagined her tengu, large enough to carry her alone as she began to fly upwards. She glanced down to see Noeru chasing her shadow from below and turned her attention back to the buildings instead.

Quietly, she wondered what the best course of action should be. Neither knew where the hostages were taken in hiding and Aizawa excelled in close combat. Although Ayame was not terrible, she lost against her uncle enough for him to know her moves as well as she knew his. Except, she couldn't apply it as well as her brain could think it.

They made a few turns, searching for any sound or movement yet only silence engulfed the city. Through all the windows and broken glass Ayame was able to peer through, there were no sights of her classmates. She frowned. Searching for someone in this large city was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But, if they manage to find Aizawa…then the hostages would also be nearby.

Ayame was pulled away from her thoughts as the tengu below her began to dissolve. She gasped when the smoky trails drifted upwards, trying to force her summon to stabilize but—it was too late. Ayame let out a loud shout and looked down, meeting wide crystal eyes at her sudden plunder.

"Taka—!"

A large gem structure shot up beneath Noeru's foot, pushing him up from the momentum and in her direction. Strong arms reached out to grasp Ayame, bringing her towards a firm body from the sudden impact as she let out a choked gasp. Noeru landed safely and set her down, both quickly moved back to back to look for the suspect.

"He's here!"

A blur of black appeared from the top, yellow goggles blocked their view from his eyes as bandages shot forward to trap them. Ayame split apart to dodge the upcoming attack but Noeru grabbed onto one end of the bandage, taking the initiative to pull Aizawa forward.

"Oh, well, aren't you brave, Takarada?" Aizawa smirked as he landed in front of the student.

Ayame looked stunned at Noeru's bold move but his eyes snapped to her instantly.

"Don't just stand there," his free hand went around his waist to the handcuffs, tossing it in Ayame's direction and leaving the girl even more—shocked by his decision. "Get him!"

Ayame clutched the handcuffs tightly and ran forward. She learned to not rely on her Quirk when faced with her uncle. With his abilities to render it useless, Ayame learned hand-to-hand combat through that training. Even if Ayame ended up getting beaten down afterwards, she was able to hold her ground against him for a few moves.

Aizawa glanced in her direction and let go of the tug-of-war with Noeru. The bandages flew around them, creating an obstacle for Ayame as she ran in. Expecting this result, Ayame weaved around the cloth like a dance and appeared a few feet away from him.

"When was the last time we battled, Ayame?" Aizawa looked down at his niece, the cloth tightening in response to restrain her.

"Too long ago!"

Ayame jumped up to avoid the capture but her right foot got clipped at the last second. She gasped when Aizawa took the cloth and suddenly—a wave of crystal shards moved to stab Aizawa.

"Use your Quirk, idiot!"

A serpent wrapped around Ayame's leg, expanding and loosening the bandages. Ayame fell unceremoniously down with a grunt but a wall of crystal appeared in her path to block their view of Aizawa. Ayame startled as Noeru grabbed her arm, dragging her to her feet and both ran away.

They passed by buildings and buildings, Ayame nearly tripping over the debris if not for Noeru's hold to steady her upright. From the corner of her mind, she knew she was shocked by the care he put into his teammates; she just didn't expect he would do the same for her.

They rounded a corner, hiding in the shade of a building and gasping for breath. Noeru let his hand drop from hers, looking away to wipe the sweat from his chin as he scanned the surrounding. Ayame leaned against the wall and raised one hand to create a little butterfly fluttering around her fingertips. Their Quirk still works. That means Aizawa was not here.

"The intervals between his Quirk use is shorter than before," Noeru quietly analyzed.

Ayame blinked. "He—"

Since USJ, Ayame knew her uncle had overused his Quirk to protect them. Although Aizawa had reassure his family time and time again he was fine, Ayame could tell the time for his Quirk had shortened. She bit her lips, hating how her uncle was injured to such an extent—and reminding her of her mother.

"Snap out of it."

Noeru glanced down at her, startling Ayame from her thoughts to look at him. He looked away again, irritation bubbling underneath him at the sight of her distracted.

"Focus on what needs to be done now. We'll use the drawback as our advantage," Noeru continued to instruct. They do not need any distractions right now.

"I—know," Ayame took a deep breath, forcing the unwanted thoughts from her mind as she straightened up. The butterfly continued to fly around her as she reached around her waist to take the metal cuffs, bringing it back to Noeru's attention. "You should take this."

He glanced at it—then her. His face was expressionless again, something Ayame was used to but—he was not taking it from her as she expected. Noeru looked away and walked around the building, checking if Aizawa had followed but—was ignoring her confused expression.

"Takarada—what are you—"

"You want to help, don't you?" Noeru asked calmly, not once looking away from the view of the street. "Then, I trust you to capture him while I distract him."

Ayame gaped. He—trusted her?! Really?! She didn't hallucinate that?! No way, no way, no way! Did her talk really get through to him? Did he trust in her abilities? He trusted her—to fight her uncle?

A burst of warmth spread from her heart to her cheeks, staring at the shiny black hair of the boy who once hated her. Noeru felt the odd silence and glanced back, noticing the stunned state of the brunette and the faint spark of admiration in her eyes. He turned back around almost bashfully. What was with that overreaction? He was giving her a chance to pass. If she was stubborn in the first place, then Noeru would not waste more time arguing with her.

"Sasaki," realizing something to be deeply wrong, he whirled back again in shock, "Where is your summon?"

They realized too late.

A cloth of bandage wrapped around Ayame's upper torso, dragging her backwards toward a lamppost. Ayame saw her uncle jump off with the bandages, trying to suspend her in midair with his wild black hair spike up.

"Oi! That's Yume-nee's move!" Ayame still managed to retort, struggling in the tight bandages around her.

"Who do you think taught her?" Aizawa taunted.

Yet Ayame did not pay attention to his question when she saw the messy hair fall over his eyes. Takarada was correct; Aizawa's Quirk was weakening.

Ayame stopped struggling to focus, smoky black trails drifting around her body as the large body of a dragon appeared. It weakened the constraints and unraveled the bandages around her form, both falling onto the concrete with a thud and Ayame charged forward.

Aizawa jumped back and recalled his bandages, eyes narrowed on his niece as the dragon got dangerously close to his face. He moved back when its sharp jaws aimed to snapped at his head yet unexpectedly his back hit a wall.

It wasn't a wall. Noeru had raised a crystal structure behind Aizawa. Another shard jump up from his left to prevent his escape, Ayame's dragon was still getting dangerously close to Aizawa. But in a split second, his eyes glowed red and Aizawa activated his Quirk, causing the summon to dissipate and Ayame to tumble forward.

Ayame let out a sharp yelp as Aizawa used the momentum against her, kicking her away and into a nearby building. The glass window shattered upon impact, digging into Ayame's bare skin while her cape barely cushioned her fall onto the floor. She struggled to rise to her knees yet her legs buckled beneath her, falling down again to gasp in shock at the pain on her ankle.

"Damn it, oji-san! Don't you know how to hold back?!"

"Watch your mouth," Aizawa warned lowly, "We're still in session."

A wave of crystal bullets barraged the streets, startling them both as Noeru charged forward with a crystal lance in hand. Aizawa jumped away with his bandage from a streetlight then to a low building roof. Noeru glanced inside the destroyed shop to confirm Ayame's status before chasing Aizawa.

Ayame rubbed her foot, wincing as she unzipped her boots to look at her ankle. It was beginning to redden from the awkward angle she landed in, wincing again at the sight before looking away.

 _This isn't good…_

Ayame forced herself to stand up, adjusting her weight to her uninjured leg and stumble forward. Dirt and debris poked at her bare skin and she coughed the dust from her lungs, taking slow steps out to the battle again.

Before she even took a step outside of the building, she heard a soft thud upstairs. Ayame blinked and looked up. Aizawa and Noeru were fighting a few feet away so there should have been no noise by her.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her instincts telling her to go check out the noise. There might be a slim chance it was the hostages! And, Noeru looked capable while fighting against Aizawa even without his Quirk.

With a turn on her heel, Ayame conjured her ookami and headed towards the large stairs of the building. Her body ached from the constant strain but Ayame cared not for it. As much as she disliked pain, she was still able to push her body to the limits based on the endless beating since the beginning of this year already. If this was the only way to improve, then so be it.

 _Sorry, Takarada_ , Ayame got to the top of the stairs and began opening doors, _I haven't abandoned you, I swear!_

"Your little partner left you," Aizawa dodged the spear, taking the tip with one hand and used the momentum against Noeru.

"She won't," Noeru's grip on the weapon loosened and Aizawa managed to disarm him, forcing both parties to throw the spear away.

"Oh? I had the impression you'd rather abandon your teammate than work with my niece," Aizawa hummed.

Noeru faltered and the split second hesitation caused Aizawa to wrap the bandages around the boy's wrists. He scowled, reprimanding himself in getting distracted and swung around to kick Aizawa. He managed to put some distance between the two but his wrists were still bound together.

"She's annoying," Noeru admitted softly, "But is also one of the most stubborn idiot I know."

A slow smirk emerged on his lips as Noeru saw the building behind Aizawa to reflect the person running through the hall, searching through the rooms with utmost importance.

"I trust her to not disappoint me."

Aizawa whirled around and blocks of crystals shot upward to hinder his movement.

Sounds of crashing and rumbling continued to echo downstairs which Ayame can only assume to be Aizawa and Noeru fighting. She knew he was good enough to battle a teacher one-to-one. Although it may be trickier against someone who can erase his Quirk, Ayame believed in him. It was because she _did_ believe in him that—Ayame allowed herself to search the building!

On the sixth door, Ayame slammed it open to see two figures bounded together. A wave of relief and happiness washed over her as Natsumi and Gin turned to their classmate.

"Took you long enough," Gin jested.

"Yes!"

Ayame cheered to herself and the wolf stepped inside. All she had to was break the ropes wrapped around their feet and wrists and—they will pass. All she had to do was have the ookami bite through the rope and—they will pass.

Ayame ran in, faint sunlight passed through the window to shine on her happiness. Just as she kneeled down with her ookami to chew the ropes off, the window behind them shattered. Ayame startled in horror, lilac eyes widening at the rope of bandage shooting forward to wrap around her hand and—dragged her to the window.

Even Natsumi and Gin looked stunned by the appearance of Eraser Head. The summon disappeared in wisps of smoke and Ayame let out a frustrated cry. Briefly, she had noted Noeru to be tied up from the corner of her eyes, surprised that Noeru was taken down in the first place.

"So you've found them," Aizawa sounded amused. "But, not good enough! Is that all you can do—Ayame? Even all that you went through—you still can't beat your oji-san?"

Ayame twitched, still falling down the high building and glared at her uncle. Her trapped hand wrapped around the bandage and with a tug, pulled Aizawa forward. Subconsciously, she summoned a hawk below her to steady her fall and have it fly upwards.

"Takarada!"

Without needing to explain for her call, a large crystal structure appeared between her and Aizawa. Aizawa was stunned at the sudden blockage from view, his feet sliding down the crystal shard while his bandages moved to wrap around the structure. Above, he saw a hand at the tip push itself up, Ayame's body was forced over the giant shard and she flipped over.

 _She's gotten better at reacting_ , Aizawa swiftly noted.

"Little tricks won't work!"

Aizawa reached up to grab Ayame's leg, pulling her down to his level and startling her. Yet as Ayame continued to get closer—falling down with the intent to pass him, a wild smile was split onto her face.

 _What is this kid up to?_ Aizawa narrowed his eyes on her, blue cape flying behind and—obstructed his view of her hands. Realizing last second of her plan, Aizawa let her go but—it was still not fast enough. The arm he used to grab onto her leg was suddenly chained to the yellow and blue handcuff.

" _The civilians have been saved!"_

The electronic echo of a female voice rang out through the streets.

" _The villain has been captured! The heroes win!"_

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Ayame shouted in a mixture of happiness, surprise, and pain. Multiple bandages wrapped around her body again, suspending Ayame in midair from the crystal and she stopped screaming. A small sigh of relief escaped her but—it barely lasted a second when she began to fall again.

Ayame yelled.

"Oji-san, you're unfair!"

A pair of hands caught her, rescuing her from the unsightly fall and Ayame gasped.

"Stop screaming. What kind of hero can't even save themselves—twice?"

Lilac met crystal eyes in stunned silence. Ayame barely realized Noeru caught her. Again. Even with his arms around her back and hooked under her knees, she was still—stunned—that he saved her—again!

"T-Takarada!"

He hummed, barely an acknowledgement. His eyes glanced down to the open foot, recognizing the signs of it swelling before readjusting his hold on her. Well, Noeru cannot set her down now.

"Hey—we—passed!"

Ayame was still in a mixture of shock, the adrenaline barely calming down as she shifted her body. Her hands reached up to rest on his shoulder, excitedly leaning up to his face and oblivious to the uncomfortable scowl on Noeru's face. Well, maybe she noticed but, did not care.

"Takarada! We passed! We captured Aizawa-sensei and freed the hostages!"

Noeru calmed down just the slightest, leaning his neck back from her uncomfortable distance—or _lack_ of—to frown at her.

' _We'?_

"How did you free them anyways?" Noeru asked calmly, looking up at the broken window of the building to see Natsumi and Gin standing at the edge, waving to them.

"It was all thanks to you!" Ayame was excited, "You—knew what I wanted! The crystal blocked Aizawa-sensei's view from me and in that time, I sent the hawk over to them. Then, I had it changed into the ookami and bit through the ropes as soon as I captured oji-san!"

Ayame was proud, _happy,_ as she explained the detail in an excited rush. The split second decision was reckless and sloppy but it was still executed as expected. Ayame didn't even care about the close proximity between them as she continued to chatter excitedly to her partner.

"I didn't think it would make it! If oji-san erased my Quirk, then I could only rely on capturing him at that time. But—we did it! Taka—I _knew_ we could!"

Noeru tensed, his body stiffened in an uncomfortable manner against his will. He could only hum and ignored the way his heart began to beat rapidly against his chest. He forced his eyes away from her and the four students began to walk back to the classroom. Ayame talking to Natsumi and Gin happily while Noeru continued to carry her.

Aizawa watched from the back with his loosened bandages, staring at the handcuff to his wrist in silent amusement before looking at the brunette. At that time, Ayame looked over Noeru's shoulder to grin at her uncle, cheeky and wild like always.

"Oji-san! I'll be winning from now on!"

"Well," Aizawa smirked, the pride swelling in his chest as he trailed after the students, "I'll be the judge to that."

* * *

When they returned back to the rest of the students, many began to crowd them with question. Mainly, the questions were directed to Ayame and her reckless abilities and she answered with a wave of her hand and a laugh. None bothered to question Noeru as seeing the dark look on his face was enough for the rest to keep their distance but something was odd with their perfect class president.

Noeru was still holding onto Ayame.

"Oh my, Ayame," Yuu's mildly surprised voice brought everyone's attention to him. His icy eyes were looking at her swollen ankle, subtly pointing out the cause of Noeru's action with just a sentence. "You're injured."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Ayame grimaced, "I'm trying not to think about the pain." She turned to Noeru then, patting his shoulder reassuringly with a warm smile. "I'm fine now. You can let me go."

"You were hurt under my charge," Noeru refused calmly, adjusting her weight in his arms further to prove his point. "I will take you to Recovery Girl."

If half of the class was stunned by the smile Ayame directed to their stoic president, the remaining half was flabbergasted by Noeru's dismissal.

Who were these two?!

Since when did these two—get along?!

Ayame joined the rest of their stupefied classmates while Yuu looked amused. Absolutely amused, thrilled, and—maybe an underlining surprise by his childhood friend's sudden gesture.

"Well, class is now dismissed since everyone finished the practical exam," Ume's voice brought everyone's attention back to the teacher. She smiled at the students, a wave of pride swelling in her chest at all eighteen of them passing the exam. "I will grade your written exam soon and give you all the final grades. For now, prepare for your summer vacation!"

The class erupted in applause and cheer, everyone forgetting the shift in relationship between the two unlikely classmates and began to walk away. Ume watched as all of the students began to head back to the classroom, a fond smile on her lips as their backs slowly disappeared from view. Everyone had grown so much already; not only physically but—emotionally.

"You went easy on them, didn't you?" Ume glanced at the tired Aizawa with a knowing smile, watching the man put eye drops into his dry eyes carefully.

"No," Aizawa denied with a single word.

Ume hummed, not believing him in the slightest as she crossed her arms over her chest. Everyone had seen on the television monitor at how Aizawa purposely kicked Ayame in the same building as the hostages. Although they were instructed to not speak during their capture, Gin had feebly fall on his side after his leg had cramped up.

Whether it was luck she had noticed or Aizawa had planned Ayame to land into the building, no one knew. Aizawa was methodical in suppressing the two students but everyone can see the effective time of his Quirk to lessen. Compared to last year, they actually had a chance to win against him.

"Are you still planning on interning your niece for summer vacation?" Ume asked curiously. She was 2-A's homeroom teacher and was able to see the hero requests sent to the students. Although Ayame does not know now, Ume was surprised Aizawa was first to take the initiative.

"She's good," a slow smile emerged on his lips as he stared at the dark dots distance away. "But she can be better. I'll make sure of it."

Ume let out a helpless smile. Despite the danger in his tone, she can see the pride and affection in Aizawa's deep gaze.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Alright now that we got their finals out of the way, let's resume activities with 1-A! I am sorry I am not that creative with their finals or fights but I hope it was just as entertaining! Noeru is just a huge tsundere and Shoto may be realizing some feelings now~

There are more scenes for the aftermath of the finals day but that will be for next chapter as it will set off their summer vacation!

Reviews are much loved! Send me your thoughts~


	21. Casanova

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

"I _knew_ you didn't hate me."

Ayame's chirpy voice echoed in Noeru's ear as he adjusted the hold on her to his back. Ayame had her hands rested over his shoulders, slightly leaning down by his ear while the rest of the students walked a few steps behind, letting the two to have a private conversation. It wasn't like they _wanted_ to. But…Yuu was the one between them…and the kind smile yet sharp look in his eyes prevented the rest from stepping closer…

Noeru's body tensed from her teasing remark yet made no movement to stop her. Ayame continued on happily, unaware of their classmates giving them space.

"Thank you—for trusting me. I guess all my pestering paid off!"

"Unfortunately," Noeru answered without a change of breath. "Constantly chasing after me, begging me to help you, to acknowledge you. I suppose it finally worn me down."

"I didn't beg!" Ayame gasped, offended by his choice of words.

" _Groveling_ , then."

"You jerk!"

Noeru smirked; satisfied with the way he riled her up. Ayame caught onto the corner of his lips lifting up and her fist stopped in midair from punching his shoulder.

This was weird.

It took until now—for Ayame to realize— _this_ was _weird_.

Noeru was— _smiling_ — _?_

Noeru was carrying her.

He trusted her.

They were not fighting.

She felt her mind blank from the sudden realization. During their exam, Ayame was preoccupied with their goals to realize the approval from Noeru. He trusted her to bring down her uncle. He supported her throughout the fights. He saw her as a teammate and—was taking _care_ of her.

Since when does the Takarada heir ever _carry_ somebody?!

Ayame was only teasing him earlier but—he—actually— _teased_ her back.

Noeru doesn't hate her.

Noeru trusted her.

Those thoughts kept repeating in her mind as she stared at the back of his sparkling hair. Ayame felt—free, _enlightened_ , with this new information. She truly did want to help him join the class again. She believed high school should be an enjoyable experience with everyone. Noeru had a lot of catching up to do.

"Takarada is such a long name," Ayame wondered out loud, grinning as she leaned down slightly, "'Taka' is much easier!"

Noeru arched a fine eyebrow, glancing at her once before facing forward again. Ayame often gives nicknames to others she trust. He never thought she would— _offer_ one to him.

"My name would suffice," he murmured quietly, half of him anticipating her call of his name and—the other half hoping she would not hear.

What was wrong with him?

Ayame stiffened again, stunned and probably delusional if she thought she heard right. That was weird—Ayame did not injure her head. There—was no way—she heard correctly or—?!

"I—I'm just gonna stick with Takarada," Ayame mumbled to herself.

Noeru twitched. He does not enjoy this bumbling feeling within his stomach because of her.

"Are you hard of hearing on top of being an irresponsible idiot?" Noeru snapped back in defense.

Ayame reeled back in alarm, their playful mood gone and returned back to childish banter.

"Baka Taka! Don't forget, I beat you _twice_ now!"

"The second time was a team effort," Noeru scowled, "We were _teammates_ , remember? Or were you unable to remember that simple detail?"

Ayame huffed, annoyed all over again. She tapped his shoulder in aggravation, hoping he would feel just as annoyed as her.

"Let me go! I can walk!"

The students from behind turned their attention back to the two arguing classmates, sighing at the small sense of peace had passed by. They were not able to speculate what happened; only, Ayame was upset by something Noeru said again.

"Hold still or—"

Noeru couldn't finish when Ayame began to fall backwards from her movement, eyes widening at the bright blue sky before—a pair of arms caught her from behind. She blinked, staring at the smiling face of icy blue eyes and fumbling to grasp onto his arm.

"Oh, _Aya_ -chan," Yuu chuckled lowly to himself, "Have you _fallen_ for us?"

Ayame froze, gaping at Yuu's tease and shook her head. It wasn't like she was doing this on purpose! Why does that sound like a double meaning?! And can they let her go now?!

Noeru dropped her legs to the ground and although he was initially rough with his treatment, he made sure her injured ankle was not harmed further. With a brush off his shoulder, he straightened up to walk away from her. The longer he stayed with her, the more flustered he becomes. This was not how he should behave. These weird emotions were a hindrance.

Ayame quickly got up when Yuu helped her, his eyes twinkling mischievously when he did not let go of her waist.

"Would you like me to carry you instead?" He whispered, just loud enough for Noeru to stiffen from his words—before ignoring them completely.

"N-n-no!" Ayame scrambled to put some distance between them, her cheeks warming up uncomfortably by his teasing smile and turned to her classmates. "H-Hotaru-chan! L-let's go to the infirmary!"

The girl startled at the sudden call, looking at the two with wide neon eyes while Ayame silently begged her to agree. Hotaru stumbled forward to Ayame's side and the brunette rested an arm around her shoulders.

"I'll see you guys later!" Ayame waved behind her and both girls headed off to the infirmary.

* * *

"You're here again?!"

Ayame winced at Recovery Girl's accusation, feeling sweat run down the nape of her neck at the disappointed look in the elder's eyes.

"J-just a light sprain this time!" Ayame tried to justify.

Hotaru helped her settle on the nearby chair, worry clouding her bright eyes as Recovery Girl took a look at the right ankle. Her small hands grasped onto the heel of her foot, turning it left and right to study the bright red skin. Ayame winced again but did not say anything to the pain.

"This is the least worrisome wound for once," Recovery Girl mumbled, nodding to herself and let go of the ankle.

Ayame sighed in relief and waited for Recovery Girl to use her Quirk. However, the elder stepped back to grab a medicinal kit, bringing two pairs of curious eyes to the woman opening the box to pull out gauze and spray.

"I'm not going to heal you every time you're injured! This will teach you to be more cautious!" Recovery Girl began to clean the wound and scolded Ayame, causing the brunette to gape at the nurse. Wasn't she supposed to heal her?!

"B-but it was a mistake! I just landed wrong!" Ayame tried to reason.

"Then learn to land better," Recovery Girl advised back.

Ayame held back a groan, trying to ignore the tight bandages wrapped around her ankle and gave Recovery Girl a teary look, hoping she would take pity on her. However, Recovery Girl did not even bat an eye at Ayame's attempt and finished tying a knot on the ankle, satisfied with her work.

"This will heal within a week and would not hinder walking. Summer vacation is just around the corner. Take that time to rest up!" Recovery Girl said, proud with her plans on the fitting punishment to this girl. This brunette could almost be put on the same recklessness as that Midoriya boy; no one can give her a bigger headache than him.

"B-but—!"

"Run along now," Recovery Girl did not bother to listen to Ayame's feeble protests. She pointed towards the door and adjusted her coat. "I must oversee 1-A's exam now."

That caught Ayame's attention.

"1-A is taking their practical exams today?" Ayame asked.

"Yes," Recovery Girl nodded. "The hero courses are finishing up the practical exams today. Now that the second years are done, that only leaves the first."

Ayame and Hotaru left afterwards, the brunette's mind wandering to her kouhais and quietly wished them luck on their exam. She made a mental note to check on them after the day was over.

* * *

At the end of the day, Ayame sat on a bench watching the other students leave school. Most were ecstatic as exams were nearing the end and others were sullen with possible failed results. Ayame watched them walk by without a word, only waiting for familiar faces to approach. A few of her classmates had said their farewells already, some confused with Ayame's reason in staying behind but the brunette only offered a shrug and a smile.

Still, they left Ayame by herself as she played on her phone, reading some messages in her own 2-A classroom about the others preparing for their summer break. Although the final exams were over for them, the heroes-in-training must prepare for more internship for the summer… Which means, Ayame finally have time to ponder another agency for her break.

She resisted a groan and brushed her loose hair back. Ayame will worry about that later. The internship won't begin for another two weeks so—what's the hurry? She _just_ passed her final exams merely hours ago. Ayame can afford to rest for a few more days.

Ayame looked up again, recognizing a few 1-A students walking out happily and she waved. Tsuyu and Ochako took notice of their upperclassman and approached her with smiles.

"Senpai! You're still here!" Ochako exclaimed happily, brown eyes scanning over her injured ankle once before smiling at the older brunette.

"Mhmm," Ayame kept the smile on her face, "I heard you guys took your practical exam today! How was it?"

"We fought against the teachers in a team battle," Tsuyu explained with a finger to her chin. "What about you, senpai? We saw your class arriving back to school in the afternoon."

Ayame blinked.

"You saw that?" More importantly, "You guys fought the teachers, too? Are they getting lazy with their finals?"

Ochako and Tsuyu looked at each other before the former burst out in laughter, giggling at the serious contemplative look on Ayame's face. Tsuyu smiled as well and Ayame shrugged off the questions. In the end, she preferred to fight against the heroes as a test of her abilities.

"We also saw you getting carried in by one of the princes!" Ochako pointed out innocently, "Are you still hurt?"

Ayame startled. Wait—that shouldn't be their concern in the first place! If her kouhais saw that—how many other people saw as well?! Wouldn't that generate more hate to her from the 'Princes' fan club?!

Hold on!

"P-please—tell me—no one else cared about how we return—right?" Ayame asked shakily.

Ochako's lips parted in a small 'o', realizing the reason for Ayame's concern and smiled nervously for her.

"Welllll…"

"Senpai, you might not want to be alone for the next few days," Tsuyu suggested seriously.

Ayame groaned. That explains the brief bumps on the shoulder when she walked in the hallway earlier. Ayame was barely getting used to the glares due to her battles in the Sports Festival but—now—she was carried in by the two most sought after boys in school! Can this get any worse?!

"Oh, Ayame-senpai!"

The three girls turned their attention to the new voice, watching two bright boys hop over. The blonde was nearly in tears as he brought his hands out but—the redhead held the collar of his shirt back before he did something unsightly.

"Wha—let go, Kirishima! I haven't seen Ayame-senpai in days!" Kaminari whined to the redhead, earning laughter from Ayame yet blank looks from his classmates.

"I'm trying to save you here," Kirishima reasoned with an assured nod of his head, "Unless you want her _boyfriends_ to go after you."

Kirishima snickered while Ayame looked at them, horrified. Kaminari realized the truth in his words and stopped struggling, nodding his head in agreement.

"That's right! Damn it, who can comfort me now?!" Kaminari groaned.

Ayame cracked her knuckles, annoyed that they were bringing the same thing up again.

"I can give you a reason to seriously cry about," she gave them a strained smile, bringing their attention to the veins popping up from the back of her hands.

"It's because they failed the practical exam that they're like this, senpai," Tsuyu explained briefly, bringing their attention to the short girl. Ayame blinked, her hands stopped cracking and instead—turned to the frozen boys with a grin.

"Ahaha—you two—failed?!" Ayame gasped and erupted a cry from Kaminari who clutched his blonde hair in distress.

"My summer camp! My long awaited summer campfire and fun is ruined!"

Kirishima also looked disappointed to have lost, clutching his hand together as if in a prayer.

"If one of our dear classmates can bring us back a souvenir—I'll be satisfied with that! Even if it's just a rock—!"

Ayame laughed harder.

"Did anyone else fail?" Ayame wiped a drop of tear from her eyes, looking at the four students in amusement.

"Mina-chan did," Tsuyu informed, causing a shocked gasp to leave Ayame's lips.

"Sato-kun, too," Ochako remembered.

"Poor Mina-chan!" Though Ayame only focused on the girl.

"Hey, hey—we're pitiful too!" Kirishima reminded.

Ayame giggled. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you all tried your best."

The five of them chatted a little longer before saying goodbye. Ayame laughed as Kirishima and Kaminari continued to moan over their loss of summer camp, keeping the little detail to herself that they would still be able to attend if they passed the written portion. If she knew her uncle well, which Ayame knew _very_ well, Aizawa would not be completely heartless to these teens.

Ayame smiled to herself and returned back to her phone, browsing through her social medias contently. The setting sun cast a soft orange glow to her hair, her pale skin seeming to light up in the sunlight. Ayame tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked up—to see Todoroki seemingly frozen in place a few feet again. Her face lit up at the sight of the heterochromia boy and carefully stood up, waving to him.

"Shoto-kun!"

Todoroki snapped out of his stupor and schooled his face down to his usual calm, nodding his head at the brunette while walking towards her. He does not understand why Ayame was still in school—nor why did the fleeting thought of her waiting for him crossed his mind. His mismatched eyes glanced down to her feet; the white gauze wrapped around her right ankle and confirmed his suspicions.

Ayame was injured.

That would explain the slight limp to her walk. It would explain the reason for her trip to the infirmary. Would explain why her class president was suddenly holding onto her as 2-A made their way back onto the school grounds.

While all of those actions made sense, Todoroki still felt… _apprehensive_ earlier as he saw them speak without the hostility from before. Todoroki knew he was distracted during lunch with the way Ayame leaned down to speak with Noeru, a smile on her lips and lilac eyes twinkling in amusement. Then, the stoic class president actually did something out of the norm.

Noeru had smirked.

Smiled. Amused.

Todoroki...did not like that.

But he could not understand why.

He only felt relief when Ayame began to struggle in Noeru's hold, nearly falling off his back if not for the second 'prince'. And that irritation was bubbling beneath his skin again as Todoroki saw Yuu lean down to tease Ayame with a smile.

Those scenes lingered in his mind even hours after, distracting Todoroki's own final exams as he fought with Yaoyorozu against Aizawa. He had made mistakes and slipped up but managed to pass thanks to his partner's help. Still, Todoroki reprimanded himself for thinking about useless things during an exam.

It was not like him to get distracted about other people's relationships. It was not like him to _care_ so much about his upperclassman but he cannot find a reason within him to stop.

"Shoto-kun?"

Her voice brought him out of his reverie, mismatched eyes returning to the present to see curious lilac ones gazing at him, silent questions behind her eyes to wonder why he did not reply to her. Ayame took a step closer now with a tilt of her head, loose strands of tan hair slipping onto her cheek.

Right now, she was here in front of him. There was no use in Todoroki to muse about the earlier day when the actual person was in his presence.

"You're injured," he stated as a way to return to his usual calm.

That worked. Ayame immediately flushed and laughed nervously, glancing down at her ankle almost guiltily for her own mishap.

"A mistake," Ayame admitted in a small voice, wide lilac eyes meeting his once more and Todoroki forgot the negative feelings he felt earlier.

"Here," he only replied and offer an arm to her, a simple indication for her to hold on so they can walk home together.

Ayame blinked—and blushed with the same surprised expression. She can still walk fine even without support, though it would help immensely, but she did not want him to assume she only waited here to use him. Ayame opened her mouth to explain yet no words came out, feeling the jumbling thoughts within her mind to be too complicated to voice out.

"I—can walk—um—it's not too painful—I—uh…!"

"It would be easier like this," Todoroki replied in his usual tone yet he felt odd inside for her rejection. _Would it be better if I carried her instead?_

Ayame stared.

And stared.

And stared. Hard.

Todoroki blinked and returned the gaze, not understanding the reason for her sudden frozen state. He could only watch the way her whole face tinted into a deep pink, and her eyes shifted to look at anywhere and everywhere _except_ him.

With a newfound resolve, Ayame ducked her head yet looped one hand around his bare arm, gently grasping his forearm for balance though she focused on the two pairs of brown and grey shoes on their feet.

"Y-you don't need to carry me," Ayame's voice nearly cracked, coughing once to clear the awkward silence and nudged forward. "L-let's go…!"

Todoroki realized he had accidentally said his thoughts out loud.

Well, _crap_.

They walked slower than they normally would as they made their way out of the school grounds. There was a hammering in her chest and stiffness in his arm that both felt within their body. It also does not help that Ayame was holding onto Todoroki's left side, feeling the arm to be warmer than usual but—only waved it off to be his Quirk.

The walk was silent despite the noise of fellow students around them. Todoroki made sure he walked on the side facing the road while Ayame was careful in not stepping on him or applying too much pressure to his arm.

If she even took a second to ask him if she made him uncomfortable then Todoroki would have answered 'yes'. It was not due to her weight on him but rather—the gentle yet firm grip around his arm that reminded him of her presence, similar to how she had somehow wormed her way within his mind; gentle yet unrelenting.

There were dozens of thoughts running through Ayame's mind as they walked in silence. She wanted to tell him about her final exams, excited to have finally beaten her uncle and wanted Todoroki to be the first to know. It never crossed her mind as for the reason _why_ but—Ayame had been so used to him that Todoroki was usually the first person she wondered about.

Yet all of those thoughts seemed to disappear when all of her concentration was focused on every step she took. There was a dull, numbing pain around her ankle and the firm muscles beneath her fingertips were enough distractions for Ayame to quiet down.

She felt— _awkward_. And still trying to force the heat away from her cheeks yet was difficult to do so with the sun shining down on them. Ayame could only keep her head bowed and hope Todoroki would not notice her embarrassment.

"Does it hurt?" Todoroki was the first to break the silence, quietly glancing at the girl beside him.

Ayame forced herself to calm down and shook her head; he was only worried about her. There was no reason for her to overreact!

"Just a little," Ayame pouted, "Recovery Girl said it will heal within a week and to take this as punishment for getting hurt so often."

"Well, she's not wrong."

Ayame gaped at him in disbelief. "It's not like I did it on purpose!"

Todoroki smiled faintly as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Ayame had returned back to her usual self while forgetting the nervous state he put her in. He does not know if that was a good thing or not but it does help with his own way of calming down.

"How did it happen then?" He asked smoothly.

"My final exams—which—oh! I passed!" Ayame looked at him with sparkling eyes, her grip tightening just the slightest but it did not slip past Todoroki. He looked at her again, then to their joined arms, then back to her face. She did not notice. "I wanted to tell you first—!"

The word 'why' was on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it down, nodding his head once with a small upturn of his lips. For whatever reason, she had considered him important enough to tell that detail to him. Ayame had not even messaged their group chat after her final examination. She also waited for him at school…which was a first since he was usually the one waiting but—he liked that.

"You probably don't know but—I never beat Shouta-oji once," Ayame continued to ramble, too caught up in the moment to realize her actions had such minuscule effect on Todoroki. "But this time—I got him! …Though it doesn't help that he was handicapped…and I got help from Taka but—it's still an improvement!"

A few things ran through his mind in that instant. Todoroki realized she had fought Aizawa the same as his team did—and _won_. Ayame looked immensely proud of that fact that he couldn't help but also feel happy for her. Yet, the uncomfortable feeling of her familiarity with her class president was back again.

 _Why 'Taka'?_

"I'm just—really happy!" Ayame sighed before realizing she had spoken a little too long. She looked at Todoroki sheepishly, noticing his slightly dazed state and wondered if she had scared him off. "I—heard your exams happened today, too! How was it?"

"It was fine," Todoroki answered curtly.

The tone surprised Ayame and her grip nearly faltered. Realizing his own odd mood, Todoroki cleared his throat quietly and started again, carefully adjusting his arm for her to hold onto.

"Yaoyorozu and I were partners. We fought against Aizawa-sensei, too," Todoroki explained briefly.

"You and Momo-chan?" Ayame repeated, "Against—oji-san, too?"

"Yeah," Todoroki said. "I…overestimated myself and gotten captured. If it wasn't for Yaoyorozu, we probably would have lost. She's strong but lost the confidence to act by herself. I suppose Aizawa-sensei was trying to gain it back for her."

Ayame knew Yaoyorozu was strong; she had also got into U.A. by recommendations. She remembered seeing her kouhai sullen during her previous visit to 1-A yet could not discern the cause of it. If what he said was true, then did Todoroki and Aizawa help her regain that confidence? Ayame would be happy for her if she did.

Then why was there an odd twist in her gut by his words?

"I realized my own mistakes because of it. Yaoyorozu is more fitted for planning and action. If Aizawa-sensei didn't scold me for it, I guess we wouldn't have won," Todoroki continued calmly.

"O-oh," Ayame hummed in response, still trying to unknot the twist in her stomach.

Todoroki was observant to those around him and acts bluntly. To Aizawa, it was probably easy for the pro hero to read his moves and capture him first. So after all of that, Ayame had reached a small understanding with their exam and how they had won.

She just…hadn't realized how high of a regard Todoroki put Yaoyorozu in.

"Well, it wasn't all because of him."

"H-huh?"

Todoroki glanced at her, noticing her slight slip of hold from him and her distracted gaze. Ayame looked startled by his continuation and confused Todoroki with her quiet responses.

"Before, I wouldn't have thought to ask others for their opinions," Todoroki said slowly, "But I do not want to discredit those with good intentions. It was…thanks to you."

Ayame flushed by the sudden topic to her.

"I-I didn't do anything!"

"You opened my eyes to a few things," _I'd rather not be compared to that class rep again_ , "I'm grateful for you…being you."

Ayame stiffened; the unfamiliar compliments can come out of Todoroki so easily. She ducked her head shyly yet a new wave of scuffling twisted in her stomach, replacing the previous knot.

"Shoto-kun…" He glanced down at her small voice, waiting for Ayame to clear up her thoughts before lifting those bright eyes to him. "You're quite the Casanova…aren't you?"

 _Hah?_

That was completely different from what he expected.

"You have your own gathering of fan girls, you know," Ayame pointed out nonchalantly, remembering how often others admired the half-and-half boy before. Especially after the Sports Festival, she remembers the excited compliments given to the almost-winner of the first-years. "You're honest and helpful without realizing it. Even my classmates admire you! First me and now Momo-chan—before you know it, many others would be fighting for your attention!"

Ayame laughed at her remarks, trying to imagine Todoroki as the third 'prince' of the school. He had the credentials for it. His cool and aloof attitude had attracted many others to him. He also has a strong family background, two elemental Quirks that can easily suppress her own, and…he was _kind_.

She liked that about him.

 _If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was flirting with me_. Ayame smiled to herself, shaking those silly thoughts away from her mind and leaving Todoroki to muse to himself.

Little did she know, Todoroki does not offer this much care or attention to others outside his family. He would not be walking anyone home if he did not remotely care for the other person; nor would he subconsciously seek her out in the crowd despite the noise around them. Todoroki was polite to others but, he would not go out of his way without reason.

Ayame hasn't realized that yet.

* * *

Hiroshi and Shiko scolded her again for getting injured for her final exams. Ayame smiled nervously and kept quiet, apologizing when prompted to since she knew her parents were only worried about her safety. It was not like she completely broke her ankle; it was just a light sprain! And after the initial fussing and scolding passed, Ayame finished her homework and played with Suzume.

"Nee-chan, I saw Todo-niisan walk you home again!" Suzume stated curiously, one hand clutching the new bunny doll and the other tugging on Ayame's sleeve.

The older sister startled, looking at the child in her arms as she paused in her reading to Suzume. Ayame cleared her throat and tried to calm down her nerves before Suzume's imagination ran wild.

"It was because nee-chan is injured so he escorted me home," Ayame explained briefly, trying to ignore the way her heart sped up when she remembered holding onto his arm for support as they walked home together with casual conversations. No matter how much Ayame insisted he did not need to trouble himself with her, Todoroki ignored it in favor for her comfort.

"Ohhhhh," Suzume's large violet eyes blinked at Ayame, "Do you like him, nee-chan?"

Ayame nearly jumped. She leaned back to look at her sister closer, wondering if their mother was the one to make Suzume pry into her life but found no indication for it. Suzume looked absolutely curious and innocent that Ayame believed she was the only one overreacting.

"Of course," Ayame said carefully, "He is my friend. I li—"

She abruptly cut herself off. Why was it so difficult to say those three little words out loud?

"Is it the same 'like' as otou-san and okaa-san? Okaa-san said Todo-niisan walks you home because he likes you!"

Ayame wanted to scream. Why, why, why was Suzume asking all these questions?!

"No way! Friends can walk each other home all the time! What is okaa-san teaching you nowadays?!" Ayame exclaimed and pinched Suzume's round cheek, erupting a fit of giggles from the child as she tried to scoot back. Ayame grinned by her sister's antics, pleased to have distracted her from the previous conversation as Suzume rolled away in bed.

"Aya-nee! Stop!" Suzume laughed and held the bunny between them as a protector. After calming down her giggles, the child wrapped her arms around the stuffed toy tighter, playing with the long ears sadly as she thought back to her own circumstances. "One day, I want to walk home with friends, too."

The brunette stilled, eyes softening and heart tightening by Suzume's melancholic expression. Her little sister tries to act so tough and kind like Yume but deep down, they knew Suzume want to return back to school. Ayame reached over to pull Suzume back into her arms, patting the wavy black hair down and hummed in contentment.

"You will, Suzu. Your Quirk control is getting better by the day. One day, I'll be the one asking about the friends you bring back," Ayame grinned.

Suzume blinked and looked at her sister hopefully. With a happy nod, Suzume hugged her sister and fell asleep. Ayame stayed up a little longer, her eyes closing in trying to fall into dreamland yet her mind kept her awake. Suzume's innocent question echoed in the silence and mismatched eyes of grey and turquoise played in her mind.

 _Of course I like him,_ Ayame thought righteously, _just like how I like my kouhais! I like Deku-kun and Ochako-chan and all of 1-A even if Kacchan doesn't like it. There's no difference between Shoto-kun and the others._

Ayame spent the night convincing herself. There was no reason for her to feel flustered with the half-and-half boy. Sure, they had been spending more time together since the Sports Festival but it was only because they shared the same route to school and happened to bump into each other for their interns. It was only natural for them to become friends from all of their interactions. Todoroki had grown so much since then.

There was no reason for Ayame to consider anything beyond that. After all, she was not as girly as Aiko or Eimi nor was she as gentle and kind as Yume. Ayame was not extremely intelligent like Yaoyorozu and she does not have the same, cute, defining traits like Tsuyu and Ashido.

Ayame was normal. Simple and naïve as others had put it. And, sometimes an idiot. She was fine with that.

* * *

The light from the cell phone illuminated the darkness of the room, highlighting the pale face of the owner with mismatched eyes. Todoroki flipped through the recent feed from his social medias; something he does not do often but found himself unable to sleep.

He browsed through the many posts from his classmates, only skimming through the pictures and text without interest. Some would post multiple times a day and others barely post in a week. Todoroki was not the type to post (at all) and the only reason he had the accounts was due to his classmates and their group chat.

Just as he was about to close the apps, not wanting to scroll through a hundred more posts, his eyes caught sight of a post with cats—kittens to be specific. Todoroki blinked and clicked to enlarge the photos, recognizing the calico cats from nearly a week ago that they found and played with. There was a picture of the mother cleaning a kitten, another picture with the five kittens together, and a pair of kittens that looked exactly like Ayame's avatar.

A faint smile appeared, his eyes softening in remembrance of that day.

" _I would like one in the future though."_

He turned his gaze outside the window, viewing the empty courtyard in the dark. Todoroki wondered what it would be like to see some cats running around yard.

* * *

 _I didn't care about anyone else's attention._

 _I only wanted yours._

 _Those were the words I held back_

 _on that final exams day_

 _three years ago._

 _[Entry 12]_

* * *

 **A/N:**

It's been a struggle to write lately...which shouldn't be the case since I still love BnHA a lot and I am so excited to write for the movie and season 3 but maybe I'm just burnt out lol.

This chapter is a little short but it's because the next scene was a chapter by itself oops. As for the end entry, I recently (always) have been imagining their future together wayyy beyond their high school life and cannot help but add that little snippet. It could be canon, could be just my endless daydreaming, but it's just there for fun.

Reviews would be great! Thank you all for reading!


	22. Friends

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

The next morning, Ayame woke up with a terrible realization.

She completely forgot to look up the agencies!

She had thought there would be more time for them to decide but—after reading the 2-A group chat this morning, they had said to finalize it today! This would be the last day before summer vacation and Ayame had to turn her internship in by the end of the day. She mentally sweated.

She had been too distracted and relaxed yesterday that she completely forgot to review over the four thousand agencies again!

With a groan, Ayame said her farewells to her family and walked (limp) to the train station.

When she reached the entrance of the station, Ayame thought she was still dreaming.

Because there was a person leaning against the side of the wall, browsing through his phone with the standard U.A. uniform—and eyes of grey and turquoise had looked up as soon as she appeared.

Ayame blinked—and blinked again. She rubbed her eyes, trying to confirm she was not asleep, and when she opened them—she saw him push himself off the wall to approach her.

"I thought you were going to be late."

No, Ayame was definitely _not_ asleep. Todoroki Shoto was the one standing before her with his usual aloofness.

"W-were you—waiting for me?" Ayame nearly _squeaked_ at the question.

"Ah."

Todoroki looked down as to avoid her wide lilac eyes, feeling bashful himself for his sudden impulsive action but he was better at hiding it than Ayame. Quietly, he lifted his arm like before; studying the way Ayame flushed in a familiar pink to her cheeks and resisted the twitch of his lips. Carefully, she looped one hand around his again, fingers gently resting on his forearm and he led them to their train.

It was silent around them. Since the train rides are usually quiet, it gave Ayame time to calm her beating heart as they waited in the corner of the door surrounded by dozens of other. Normally, the morning commute was cramped and uncomfortable but this time, she had Todoroki here to accompany her.

Ayame could do nothing as she leaned on the railing by the door, eyes focused deeply on the scenery flashing by as Todoroki was nearly touching her by his proximity. Normally, she doesn't care about the cramped train ride or strangers by her. Normally, Ayame would be playing with her phone as she waited for the time to pass by.

But _normally_ , she does not have someone to accompany her like now.

And damn it, she was sure her heart beat was louder than the machinery below.

There was a slight jolt to the train when it stopped at the station. Ayame winced when she accidentally applied pressure to her injured ankle and a quick hand went behind her back. She startled at the sudden stabilization and whipped her head around to see mismatched eyes return her gaze, eyebrows creased barely a centimeter in concern.

"Careful."

Ayame nodded sharply and returned her gaze back to the window, hoping he would not see her embarrassment. The window reflected Ayame's fair features and Todoroki had to look away, not realizing his hand had lingered on her back longer than necessary. It was already difficult trying to keep a calm façade with their proximity so close. Todoroki caught onto the light floral scent from Ayame, distracting himself with deciphering what flower she was wearing and—not realizing he was doing it subconsciously.

When the train stopped at their station, the two left the same as before; with Ayame's hand around Todoroki's forearm as they made their way to school. She attempted to keep calm, focusing more on every step she took and the dull pain it followed—rather than her attachment to the half-and-half boy to her right. It was hard to determine how Todoroki felt when he has his usual blank face; Ayame only hoped she was not troubling him with her own problems.

From an outside perspective, the two looked very _intimate_ with their close proximity. At one glance, it could almost be assumed they were walking together like a date. _And_ —that was the first thought that popped into Sero and Mineta's mind as they saw the two walking in front of them.

"No way, no way, no way! That Todoroki! Why is he getting everything?!" Mineta cried out, slapping Sero repeatedly to prove his point.

Sero laughed, amused yet also shocked with this development. Sure, they had been joking before with their upperclassman but—they didn't expect the best in their class to actually take an _interest_ in her! They had waved it off from mind when Todoroki had defended Ayame before but—now—what was this?!

"Ahahah—I was right to stay out of her way!" Sero snickered to himself, "I wonder if those two 'princes' are gonna be competition."

"No! It was already difficult trying to stand out in class! Now—we have to deal with her classmates?!"

Ayame twitched.

"You guys aren't being subtle, ya know!"

Sero and Mineta stiffened, looking up ahead to see Ayame turning her head to glare at them. Todoroki also glanced at his two classmates but he had the usual indifference on his face, as if none of their words affected him. But, Ayame carefully released her hold from his arm—causing the heterochromia boy to turn his attention back to her when she cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"H-hey, who said we were talking about senpai!" Sero tried to justify.

Todoroki gave them a deadpan expression. Mineta clearly mentioned him by name. Who else was with him now if not Ayame?

"I don't remember my life being _this_ exciting before 1-A," Ayame mumbled to herself, nearly rolling her eyes at her underclassmen teasing her again.

Just—what the hell! Aren't they supposed to respect her!? And, her ankle was clearly injured if they just look down to her legs! Why do they always make something out of nothing?!

"Are you going to help me or not?" Ayame asked more of a question to Sero, motioning towards the bandaged ankle for emphasize. However, she regretted it instantly when Mineta began to rush over, steam nearly exhaling from his nose at the offer.

"Of course—allow me, senpai—!"

Mineta suddenly tripped, a loud cry left his lips as he landed face first onto the concrete. Ayame looked startled at the boy sliding a few feet in front of her; he seemed to have tripped over nothing!

"W-well, Sero-kun! I think you should take care of Mineta-kun instead!" Ayame quickly thought and turned back around to grasp Todoroki, gently tugging him along before Mineta recovers. "Let's go—!"

Todoroki adjusted his elbow yet his attention was elsewhere. He could have sworn…a little gem rock shot up and then back down to trip Mineta… But…there was no sign of the person responsible for that anywhere. A frown tugged on his lips as he scanned the surroundings of the nearby U.A. students but could not distinguish anyone out of the norm.

He turned his head back to the focused Ayame and leaned just a bit closer so she would have an easier grasp on him. Ayame startled and glanced at him but—just as quickly looked away. The playful atmosphere was gone and the walk returned to silence. Ayame wondered why it was so easy to ask Sero for help yet—she felt bashful with Todoroki.

* * *

Since they were done with the lessons for the first semester, Ume only reviewed briefly for summer vacation. The students must decide on the agencies and nearly everyone was going with the ones that took them in before.

Ayame shivered in her seat. She can't go back to Yume!

Quickly, she brought the packet of agencies out and hoped one might be benevolent enough to take her in despite the time of the year. As her eyes scanned over the agencies, she winced at the familiar 'Endeavor Hero Agency' on the list. Interning under the Number Two Hero would provide immense help for her road to heroship but…as for the person himself…

 _M-maybe he will accept me…?_

Ayame laughed at herself.

Who was she kidding?! She barely stood up against him in the previous meeting!

"Oh, Sasaki-san," Ume approached her table with a paper in hand, bringing wide lilac eyes to her homeroom teacher curiously. "There was one more request sent to you for the summer internship."

At that, Ume handed the paper to Ayame and walked off to collect the finished student's internship paper. Hotaru blinked at her friend curiously while Ayame looked at the single name on the paper with shock, then enthusiasm and suddenly, Ayame jumped out of her seat with a laugh.

"Yes! Oji-san—I knew I can count on you!"

"Sit down, Sasaki," Noeru scolded before Ume even had a chance to.

Ayame immediately flushed and sat down, too happy to be put off with Noeru's attitude. That boy can be hot-and-cold with her however he wants; Ayame was too excited to let Noeru's mood affect her.

"Your uncle wants to intern you?" Hotaru asked with silent amazement.

"Yeah!" Ayame whispered back excitedly; she already knew who to choose for her internship. Aizawa barely took a student under his wing personally. Although he was the first-year's homeroom teacher for a majority of his teaching career, he rarely taught one individually.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Natsumi glanced back to whisper, "Aizawa-sensei…has quite a reputation."

"Oh, he's just a huge softie inside though," Ayame giggled to herself and wrote down 'Aizawa Shouta/Eraser Head' for her summer internship paper. "He must have known I was struggling and decided to help me!"

"I'm glad you think so," Ume returned to take the internship paper, smiling at the innocent Ayame for the next words caused her smile to immediately disappear, "I heard Aizawa-sensei worked up a specific planner for you."

 _Wait—hold—on—no—! That wasn't a good sign!_

"W-wait—sensei—! I-I have some adjustments to make!"

"Well, then, this is everyone's summer internships!" Ume ignored Ayame to smile at the class, "There will be about two weeks of rest before your internship officially begins! Make sure to check with your agency! Dismissed!"

The bell rang for the class to end and everyone began to gather their school bags. Ayame remained seated as she looked down at the agency list again, reviewing all the possible heroes, and suddenly regretting her choice.

She had been so excited and failed to realize… Aizawa may be a kind uncle but he was a ruthless teacher. Ayame had learned firsthand to train under her uncle but she had been so relieved to see a familiar name rather than focus on the immense training he may surely had written for her. Ume's words were a stern reminder that the summer internship was not a summer _vacation_.

"Damn it," Ayame nearly slammed her head to the metal table, "I'm an idiot."

"That's an understatement."

Ayame barely lifted her head to aim glaring lilac eyes to the tall class president. Noeru adjusted his schoolbag and shoved one hand into his pocket, ready to stroll away. But, Yuu thought otherwise as he approached her table with his usual smile, leaning against it while Ayame straightened up.

"If I had known you were looking for a new agency, I would have recommended mine," Yuu said smilingly.

Well, it wasn't like the class knew the reason _why_ for Ayame's departure from LullaCry's agency.

"Thank you, Yuu, but I don't think I'm useful around the sea," Ayame shrugged. Yuu's agency was a little further away from U.A., more focused on the harbor and navy rather than the city.

"What a shame," Yuu sighed and Ayame knew that was just his usual polite, acting tone. "It would have been fun to work together. It looks as though you're still injured? Was that why your kouhai escorted you to school today?"

Ayame startled and Noeru stiffened. There was a knowing look in Yuu's sharp eyes as he glanced at Noeru's straight back before turning his attention to the suddenly shy Ayame. The girl clamped up with pinkish cheeks, stammering to try and explain herself and Noeru clicked his tongue.

"I'm going first," he announced to Yuu and began to walk off, away from Ayame's feeble explanation and from Yuu's meddling.

"Y-yeah—I will heal in a few more days—I uh—should go check up on the others—!"

"To 1-A?" But Yuu did not let her off, purposely raising his voice so Noeru can hear. Yuu continued to smile as he offered one arm to Ayame, "Allow me, Ayame."

The brunette stared at him oddly—and she wasn't the only one. A few other classmates had taken notice of Yuu's piqued interest lately but it was not unusual for the Shimizu boy to be kind to girls. It was just…Yuu had been showing _extra_ care to the Sports Festival winner.

"N-no, I'm fine," Ayame waved her hand furiously.

"Why not?" Yuu asked with a tilt of his head, icy eyes innocent and curious but—Ayame _knew_ he was only pretending with her. "You're injured…and I'm available. I would not want to see you injured even more and I would not be able to rest easy if someone with ill intentions helped you."

 _What the hell what the hell what the hell?_

For some reason, Ayame's mind immediately wandered back to the morning when Mineta nearly jumped to her assistance. Of course, Mineta was merely a pervert and Ayame would have run away without a care for her injury before she allowed him to set a hand on her. But—why did it feel like Yuu knew about that?

Ayame mentally groaned. If only she could use her Quirk! It would save her from all these troubling issues! But, she still does not have a hero provisional license and she cannot use her Quirk willingly without approval.

"I do need to speak with oji-san…" Ayame mumbled to herself, _but I don't want to deal with Yuu's fan girls!_ "But I can go my—"

"Great!"

Yuu beamed and ignored her protests, taking a swift hold of her hand and nearly dragged her up from the chair. Ayame hastily grabbed her school bag and gave a pleading look to Hotaru and the girls but—they looked just as stunned, if not amused, by Yuu's sudden charge. The tall boy sent a teasing look to Noeru, lips curling up into a smirk—before changing into another usual smile of his.

"Don't wait up, Noeru."

They walked past him and Yuu adjusted their walking speed as to accommodate Ayame. She nearly wanted to cry. There were many others already shooting them questioning looks and none-too-friendly ones! It does not help that Yuu was still grasping onto her arm and leading them around!

Meanwhile, Yuu was absolutely having the time of his life. Noeru looked so bewildered that Yuu could not help but let out a small chuckle. He cared not for everyone else as he escorted Ayame down the hallway, icy eyes shining even more by her embarrassment and accusing glare at him.

"Yuu—I'd rather not have the whole female population turn into my enemy in one day," Ayame complained lowly; Yuu was only teasing her now because she would not expose his persona…though Ayame was sure he would not care either way.

"What, ever, do you mean?" Yuu smiled pleasantly and Ayame wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. "I'm only helping my injured classmate around. Would you rather I carry you instead?"

"No, no," Ayame immediately grabbed his arm tighter before he moved it, knowing full well he will do as he says.

Yuu chuckled and didn't resist, setting one hand over the one she wrapped around his to prevent her escape. As they walked slowly through the hall, they attracted a few others to them but it was not enough for them to stop. Yuu was more interested in his companion.

"I see you and Noeru are getting along well," Yuu mused quietly.

Ayame startled. _How_ were they getting along together?!

Sensing her bewilderment, Yuu continued on with an amused smile.

"Of all my years knowing Takarada Noeru, I've never seen him carry anything more than a bag. Nor—has he ever asked me for advice regarding a girl," Yuu said lightly, "I wonder…who could he have meant?"

Yesterday, Noeru had found Yuu after the first final exam and asked him questions beyond his expertise. No matter how vague or dismissive Noeru tried to put it, Yuu knew his best friend was truly hopeless in his own emotions.

" _Things change," Noeru paused, struggling to admit to himself that, "It's time…I should, too."_

"I only want to see my friends get along with each other," Yuu chuckled, "Is that so bad?"

"We're friends?" Ayame blurted out.

" _Ouch_ , Aya- _chan_ ," Yuu faked a hurt expression, taking her hand and bringing it close to his chest in mock pain, "After all we've been through, are you saying, we are _not_?"

Ayame's eyes widened, her heart racing and hand warming under Yuu's. This boy—was too good at twisting the words to match his tone and—playing with others to his tune. Ayame hadn't realized it before but—she was clearly experiencing the full effect of his charisma right now.

"I—that's not—I mean—" Seeing the twinkling light dancing in Yuu's eyes made Ayame realized he was teasing her again. "Okay—we are! But—is Takarada—serious, too?"

Yuu grinned, watching Ayame look at him with fearless lilac eyes as she waited for an answer. He dipped his head, pale lips approaching her ear while Ayame froze.

"He won't admit it but…yes, he is."

"No flirting in the hallway."

Ayame took an abrupt step back from Yuu but the boy looked unperturbed when the brunette wrung her hand free from his grasp. Both students turned to the teacher that just arrived; one shocked and the other innocently smiling.

"O-oji-san!"

"Aizawa-sensei," Yuu greeted calmly, "We were just talking."

Aizawa gave him an unimpressed look. How was holding onto his niece's hand and leaning down on her as just 'talking'? Ayame still looked shocked and pink in the face but she walked over to Aizawa immediately.

Around the corner, a few students spied on the two students and teacher interaction. As the plan for a group shopping had passed by, someone took notice of their upperclassmen and pointed it out to the class. Before they knew it, Kirishima, Kaminari, Hagakure, Ochako, Ashido, and Mineta were ducking their heads around the door to spy on them.

"Ne, do you think Shimizu-senpai is dating Ayame-senpai?!" Ashido asked while patting Ochako excitedly.

"Wait, wait, we can't forget the second player—Takarada-senpai!" Kaminari chimed in.

"Not again!" Mineta cried out, "Now we have to add Todoroki to the mix!"

The class quieted down, glancing at the heterochromia boy adjusting his book bag around his shoulder and then to Mineta. What did he mean by _that_?

"Oi, Todoroki!" Kirishima's rambunctious voice echoed in the classroom, amused and teasing as he went over to the stoic boy. "Are you interested in senpai?!"

Todoroki only gave them a blank look.

"D-don't you think we've been prying into senpai's life…a little too much?" Midoriya spoke up nervously next to Iida, looking at the silent Todoroki—then back to the curious classmates.

"That's right!" Iida's voice of reason snapped their attention to him, "We have no reason to interfere!"

The students looked at each other, then back to the righteous Iida and Midoriya pair. Ashido pouted playfully and hopped back into the class.

"Boo, Iida-kun! Ayame-senpai is classmates with the two 'princes'! We're just teasing!" Ashido nodded her head.

"Why…do you guys like teasing her so much?" Midoriya asked shyly. He had noticed the slight attachment his classmates have with their upperclassman and they never fail to rile the girl up at the opportunity. Unfortunately for her, she just happened to get in situations where that happens often.

"Because she's fun!"

"And entertaining!"

"A shapely body—ow!"

"Senpai is cute!"

"She's just—likeable!"

"She's also annoying, a loudmouth, knows no boundaries, and troublesome," Bakugo added on not-too-kindly.

"C'mon, Bakugo," Kirishima grinned, "You just described yourself!"

"What the hell?! We're nothing alike!" Bakugo scowled and refused adamantly.

That only caused the rest of the class to mercilessly tease him. Midoriya mentally made a note that their classmates enjoyed teasing those with a fiery reaction...which would make sense as Bakugo and Ayame being the biggest ones.

Without a word, Todoroki stepped out of the classroom first, leaving the others to finalize their plans for their shopping. He was not going to join them as he planned on visiting his mother on his off days. The students would only have a few weeks to rest before their training camp begins.

Briefly, he wondered what his upperclassman was doing for summer vacation.

And right as he thought about her, he saw Ayame finish her talk with Aizawa. The 'prince' was long gone by the time Todoroki left the classroom but he had been actively paying attention to the...gossip. Listening to his classmates prattle on about Ayame's relationship with her classmate was enough to paint the scene of their intimate hold earlier.

Todoroki felt his eye twitched.

During the Sports Festival, Ayame had been _very_ intimate with the more popular prince of the two, Shimizu Yuu. They were partners during the battle royale and had trusted in each other's abilities. Because of that, Ayame ended up receiving more haters than fans in the female community when the Shimizu heir had rode with her on the ookami mount. It turned for the worse when they battled each other in the tournament, their previously friendliness gone.

It shouldn't have bothered Todoroki when he saw her battle the two 'princes'. It was the aftermath, when rumors and jealousy floated in school, caused him to pay more attention to her classmates' relationship with her. Ayame looked oblivious as usual and although she had accepted the new animosity, she did not let it bother her.

Ayame was welcoming in that way. She does not hold a grudge against anyone and had even _accepted_ the 'ice prince' known as Takarada Noeru. And, with the way the Takarada heir behaves around Ayame, it can be assumed he accepted her, too.

Todoroki cannot believe he ended up hearing so many rumors regarding them.

"Okay! I'll see you later, oji-san! Okaa-san said you can't be late to dinner again!" Ayame chirped to her uncle happily. Now that she does not need to hide their family relationship any longer, Ayame felt more liberated with her casual call to her uncle.

"Yeah, yeah," Aizawa waved one hand behind him and left.

Ayame smiled and turned her head, seeing the familiar half-and-half boy and waved. Todoroki's shoulders relaxed by the sight of her so carefree and pushed his previous thoughts away from mind.

Iida was right. It was none of their business to pry into her life. Todoroki should have no reason to and yet found himself musing about her more often than not. He told himself he was only watching out for Ayame, as she often does with others.

"Ready to go home?" Ayame asked with a smile, looking at Todoroki expectantly.

Todoroki wondered if she knew the weight of her words hold over him.

"Yeah," he lifted his elbow again and without hesitation, Ayame held it and both walked down the hall.

Ayame did not notice how natural it felt to accept Todoroki's offer than Yuu; only faintly realizing that she liked the way Todoroki instinctively helped her. Although she still felt the skip of the beat within her heart and how her hand felt warm wrapped around his, Ayame thought nothing of it. She convinced herself he was being a good friend and appreciated the kindness he extended to her.

As for Todoroki, he felt no need to be embarrassed with his attachment to his upperclassman. It was logical for him to help her home, as she was injured and their houses were in similar route. He did not admit how much he enjoyed her company and took his classmates teasing with a grain of salt because they only wanted to rile him up.

And so, the two fell back into their comfortable conversations with each other as they walked home. Neither noticed the amused eyes behind them as 1-A snickered to themselves with the two's intimacy.

While a majority of their conversation was simple, Todoroki continued to walk Ayame home even after the train ride. She felt the initial embarrassment appear in the form of pink-tinted cheeks again as she attempted to refuse—failing even more when Todoroki gave a careless shrug and continued on.

During the train ride, Ayame had noticed 1-A's group chat regarding their shopping trip tomorrow. Although summer break had barely just begun, they were excited for the prospect of training camp in about two weeks. Since Ayame had already asked Aizawa about when her internship will begin, she had learned it would not begin for another week.

 _That means…oji-san will be training me before their training camp._ Ayame hummed, reaching that conclusion quickly and turned to Todoroki.

"Are you going to the class shopping trip tomorrow?" She asked.

"No. I visit my mother during my days off," Todoroki answered.

"Ah!" Her grip tighten just the slightest as she turned to him with a smile, "Then finally—the _higashi_!"

"Yeah," the side of his lips curled up, "I can finally take it off your hands."

"I ended up hiding it in my room," Ayame informed with a small pout, "Since Suzume and my mother stays home, they end up running through our snacks _very_ quickly throughout the day."

"Then, is it too late to offer the second box to you?"

"Wh—huh?"

Ayame turned to look at Todoroki in surprise, not expecting the offer at all. He glanced at her and shrugged again, thinking it was not a big deal considering how excited Ayame looked when she first saw the confectionaries.

"It was left in your care for quite some time," Todoroki continued to explain as he knew Ayame would be surprised at first. "Consider it as thanks for your trouble."

 _But it wasn't trouble at all!_ Ayame cried in her mind, still staring at Todoroki in bewilderment. Was it her or—did he seem very rehearsed with his explanation?

"It's also my fault for forgetting to return it to you so often," Ayame pointed out. Of all the times Todoroki had walked her home, there was always one reason or another for her to forget about the _higashi_. If Ayame didn't know any better, she would have assumed Todoroki only walked with her because he _enjoyed_ it.

Maybe he did…but neither was going to bring up that subject.

"Two is too much for us," Todoroki continued to evade her refusal nonchalantly.

 _Then…why did you buy two?_ Ayame wondered to herself; _it wasn't because…to do this—right?_

At that preposterous idea, Ayame shook her head. She was letting her imagination run too wild and—she does not need any type of ridiculous hope to form within her.

"I'll—take the offer! Thank you, Shoto-kun!" Ayame smiled brightly to him and Todoroki returned it with one of his own.

They continued to walk past the busy streets and turned into the quiet neighborhood. They walked past the bushes where they had seen the kittens before; Ayame stalling just a second longer than usual before continuing their venture home. Todoroki did not mind as they spoke about the mundane things regarding their summer vacation.

When they arrived at her house, Ayame unlocked the front gate to let them both in. At that time, the front door opened to reveal Suzume, waving from the door frame to welcome her sister back. At the sight of the half-and-half boy getting more and more familiar around their house, the child smiled at him but still hid halfway behind the door in shyness.

" _Okaeri_ , Aya-neechan, Todo-niisan," Suzume welcomed.

Todoroki blinked at the greeting while Ayame smiled at the child, reaching down to pat her unruly black hair.

" _Tadaima_ ," Ayame turned to Todoroki sheepishly. "Sorry—I hope you don't mind the nickname."

Suzume looked up curiously, wondering if it was impolite of her to call him as such but Todoroki shrugged. He did not have a younger sibling as he was the youngest child and he knew Suzume meant no harm with it. Rather, he was uncertain on how to treat kids but…Ayame seemed so natural with it.

"It's alright," Todoroki reassured and gave a brief nod to the child. Her wide eyes reminded him of Ayame's. "Hello again."

Suzume's smile grew wider and Ayame stared at the softened look on his face. Quickly, she averted her eyes and took off her shoes, stepping into the house and turned to him.

"Come in. It'll take me a sec to grab the things—oh Suzu, where's okaa-san?"

Todoroki quietly took off his sneakers while Ayame flitted around the house. Suzume trailed behind and answered her question.

"Okaa-san is in the backyard! I wanted to greet you first!" Suzume smiled.

"Oh, you," Ayame grinned and ruffled her hair again. She smiled at Todoroki and motioned to the couch in the nearby living room, gently patting Suzume along in the same direction. "Have a seat. Suzu, be nice to Todo-niisan. Tell okaa-san we have a guest."

Suzume took off to the backyard and Ayame left to her room. Todoroki mindlessly thought about the little nickname, feeling odd at how natural Ayame can say the same as her younger sibling regarding him.

 _Todo-niisan…_ He could almost laugh at that.

Todoroki glanced at the paintings on the wall, remembering how Ayame had mentioned her father being a painter. The inky brush strokes and wild lines reminded Todoroki of Ayame's own summons at times, quietly noting that her style was similar to her father's.

The many different photo frames on the shelves revealed pictures of their family from different times. There were some of the children together, a few families outing, and some singles. Of all the photos, they share the same happy smile and warmth in the camera. Todoroki can see how much Ayame had grown throughout the photos, his hand reaching up to touch the brown frame of one.

"You're Todoroki Shoto, right?"

His hand immediately dropped back to his side, turning around to see the smiling face of an older woman. Her dark eyes were dull with a glassy shade in it yet Shiko was looking in his direction. Todoroki nodded but stopped himself, not sure exactly how much the ex-hero could see before replying vocally.

"Yes, I am."

Suzume had one hand clutching onto her mother's pants but her large eyes were looking at the two talking. Todoroki did not say more but he felt himself blanking from unable to continue a conversation. He only felt such complication because he was in an unfamiliar home, faced with the parent of his upperclassman.

"It's good to see you again…and so soon," Shiko said with a playful undertone, smile widening even more at the blurred figure in front of her. She cannot see his distinctive face or expression and can only pick out the red and white hair blob with the standard grey uniform. "How's that old man Endeavor doing?"

Todoroki blinked, trying to contain his surprise.

"You…know my father?"

"Hardly," Shiko reached down to hold Suzume's hand rather than have her latch onto her pants. "At this point, Yume met him more than I have. I was just wondering if he's still the egotistic hot-head as before."

His lips twitched. Todoroki thinks he would enjoy speaking with her.

"He's the same," Todoroki replied.

Shiko laughed, amused with Todoroki's subtle contempt at the Flame Hero but did not press for more. Todoroki mindlessly thought her laugh was similar to Ayame's; joyful and hearty yet with a slight elegance to it. Suzume led her mother to the couch to sit and Todoroki followed, sitting in the armchair to wait patiently for Ayame's return.

"So what brings you here, Todoroki? Ayame rarely invites friends over. Are you staying for long?" Shiko continued to inquire, trying to find out more between these two but settled for casual chatter for the moment.

"I'm picking up something," Todoroki answered the same as before, not minding her curiosity. "I would not intrude for long."

"Nonsense!" Shiko smiled brighter, "It's not an intrusion at all! In fact, how about staying for dinner?"

"Okaa-san!"

Ayame's surprised voice brought Todoroki to see her come around the corner, wide eyes in distressed by her mother's familiarity with the boy. Meanwhile, Shiko did not even turn in her direction, merely smiling at the guest a little too widely.

"It's the least we can do for having the boy always escorting you home, Aya," Shiko lightly advised as the brunette approached them with a bag in hand.

Ayame opened her mouth to protest yet no words came out. It was true that Todoroki had helped her a little too much lately. There was not a lot Ayame can do to repay his kindness and she quietly glanced at him, wondering if he would accept.

"It was no trouble at all," Todoroki looked calm as always but his held her gaze, causing a slight flutter in her heart by his next words. "It was…enjoyable."

Enjoyable.

He said _enjoyable_.

She felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards and averted her gaze. Ayame cleared her throat and handed the bag of _higashi_ to Todoroki. He stood up and took the bag, glancing down to see two boxes still within and wordlessly took one of them out. He put the extra box in Ayame's hand, refusing her attempt at shoving it back into the bag.

"I should leave now. My sister often waits for me before dinner," Todoroki said.

Ayame's eyes light up at that, smiling at him with hope.

"I'll walk you out," Ayame handed the candy to Shiko, surprising the woman by the box. "Thank you for the _higashi_ , Shoto-kun."

"After defending this for so many weeks, it was handed over this easily?" Shiko mused playfully while Suzume looked excited by the box.

Ayame flushed and shook her head, tilting her head to the door before her mother can say any other embarrassing things. Todoroki followed behind and the two left the living room. The sun was starting to set as he stepped out of the house while Ayame lingered at the doorway.

"Do you eat with your sister now?" Ayame asked, hopeful and curious about the siblings reconciling their family bond.

"Yeah. It's not every day but…it's still more than before."

"That's great!"

"It will still take some time before all of us are together again but...it'll happen," Todoroki said with a soft smile, causing Ayame to smile wider at him.

"I'll be rooting for you! Keep me updated!"

"Un," he agreed. "I'll take up that offer next time."

Ayame blinked. "Which offer?"

The side of his lips curled up.

"Dinner."

Ayame gasped, her mind blanking from the implications of his words. Todoroki—wanted to have dinner with them? Was he serious?!

"Todoroki-san? Ayame?"

Before she had the chance to say anything, Yume's voice broke through their conversation. Ayame looked up to see Yume walking through the gate in her hero uniform and Todoroki glanced back to greet her. The older sister looked between the two, reaching a conclusion Ayame did not like for the teasing smile to appear on Yume's lips.

" _Okaeri_ , Yume-nee," Ayame greeted with a strained smile before turning to Todoroki, silently ushering him to go before Yume can embarrass her.

"Leaving so soon?" Yet Yume's attention was on Todoroki, polite and curious as she kept up the smile on her lips.

"Well, you know, he has stuff to do, places to be," Ayame waved off quickly. The last time Yume had this teasing glint in her eyes, Todoroki was forced to walk her home from the hospital in Hosu City.

"I see," Yume did not press on for Ayame's embarrassment as she turned to her little sister. "I have to go to the agency tomorrow for some overtime. I don't think I can take you to the hospital."

"I said I don't need to go," Ayame's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering why Yume was bringing that topic since their family agreed she just needed to rest at home. "It'll heal in a few more days."

"But we ran out of the ointment for you," Yume sighed in disappointment. "You know how okaa-san is. If you don't care for your body now, it will—"

"—come back with a vengeance. I know, I know." Ayame sighed, hearing that phrase from their mother plenty of times throughout their childhood. Shiko means well, they know their mother do, but Ayame was not going to trouble everyone over a light sprain. "It'll be fine—"

"I can take you."

Two pairs of purple eyes turned to the stoic boy. Ayame was stunned as she stared at Todoroki while the smile on Yume's face grew wider with glee, as if her little plan had worked as she clutched her hands together in thanks towards the half-and-half boy.

"Wait—no—"

"I'm going to the hospital anyways," Todoroki reassured with a shrug. He can take Ayame if they were going to go the same way.

"Oh my, you're not injured, are you?" Yume asked genuinely. He does not seem to be hurt in anyway; Yume hadn't realized he was going there in the first place.

"No," Todoroki faced the eldest sibling again and thought to himself, Yume was a lot more cunning than people give her credit for. She was more than just the 'perfect, gentle elder sister' that others often praised her to be. Yume also know how to play little tricks when it came to her little sister's…relationship life.

Todoroki paused.

What _was_ his relationship with Ayame? They were senpai-kouhai status and had become friends within these past few months. It was only natural for him to come to her assist since he was free and she needed help.

That…was all to it.

"I'll pick you up at 9," Todoroki decided to not ponder over that any longer.

"Are you _sure_ ," Ayame asked again, "Like—sure-sure?"

He shrugged and offered a half smile, nodding his head once in assurance.

"I'm sure," Todoroki turned around and began to walk off, raising one hand in a wave behind him. "See you tomorrow."

Ayame watched his back in a daze and felt the lingering heat remain on her cheeks. As for Yume, she quietly smiled to herself and stepped back into the house, leaving Ayame at the door for a few more seconds before realizing how ridiculous she must have looked.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Sorry! I would have written more but I got a fever the past few days and am barely recovering… I'm so happy with the feedback from the last chapter though! Especially with all the love-rivalry between the 'three princes' and the oblivious Aya hahaha

I didn't realize all these little scenes were to happen before I can even begin to write for the movie! I also want to write season 3 episode 1 before the movie as it feels more fitting with the timeline but honestly I'm just winging it…lol

Reviews are much loved as always! I'm going to recover now and continue to write more!

 _Read for possible AU:_

Lately, I've been accidentally thinking of an angsty-AU regarding this AyaSho ship where I will probably never write because it goes off canon wayyy too much but then again this fanfic isn't even canon so what am I worried about—sobs. Maybe I'll draw some scenes for it…

Basically...

' _Shoto…sometimes I have nightmares—nightmares where I don't exist…and you and I never met… Ridiculous, right?'_

' _You worry too much. I'm here now, aren't I?'_

 _I've been having weird dreams…dreams about this faceless girl who smiles brighter than the sun yet I cannot remember what color her hair or the shape of her eyes. Only…I would wake up confused—wondering,_

" _Who's…Ayame?"_


	23. Mother

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Ayame spent the morning deciding her outfit for the day.

Yume had informed their parents about her surprise visit to the hospital, even teasingly added the part about Todoroki being the one to suggest it. Shiko and Hiroshi's reactions cannot be anymore different. Their mother was ecstatic over the news while their father was staring at his daughter seriously, trying to intimidate her into confessing about any secret relationship with her male friends.

Thinking back to last night, Ayame decided she cannot have Todoroki meet her father. Or mother again. Or even Yume! Something always happen when her sister sees them together!

 _They act as if I don't have friends_ , Ayame pouted to herself, pulling out a white top and black high-waisted shorts. Her eyes landed in a burgundy skirt to the side, pausing for one second to contemplate her choices before shaking her head. It wasn't like she needed to dress up fancy! It was a good thing Yume already left early in the morning or else she would have teased Ayame mercilessly about her choices.

Ayame brushed her hair back and settled to put the long brunette strands into a messy bun on top of her head to avoid the heat. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, deeming it satisfactory before grabbing her bag to head out.

"Yume left you some breakfast," Shiko informed as soon as she heard Ayame walk into the kitchen.

The girl looked at the counter and saw a plate of _tamago_ , a small bowl of miso soup, and a bowl of rice set aside for her. Ayame smiled and ate the food happily, always enjoying Yume's cooking and noticed there was still ten minutes left before Todoroki would arrive.

"Morning, nee-chan!" Suzume greeted as she ran in from the living room, climbing up to the chair next to her and handed her a drawing. It was a brightly colored picture with a brunette girl and a boy with half-and-half hair.

Ayame nearly choked on her food.

"W-what's this, Suzu?" Ayame drank some water to wash down her food, looking at the confused expression on the younger siblings face.

"It's nee-chan and Todo-niisan!" Suzume tilted her head to the side. Usually, Ayame would praise her for the drawings. "Do you not like it?"

Ayame flushed and shook her head, carefully taking the drawing to admire the handiwork.

"No, no, I like it, Suzume. You're very good at drawing," Ayame praised with a pat to her sister's head.

Suzume beamed from the attention, leg swinging under her in happiness as she urged Ayame to keep the drawing.

"Will you show it to Todo-niisan later?" Suzume asked innocently and Shiko stifled a laugh from Ayame's other side.

"Y-yeah," Ayame folded up the drawing and tucked it into her bag. She ruffled Suzume's hair and silently wondered when Suzume got so attached to the boy.

A knock on the door brought their attention to it. Ayame finished up her food and put them in the sink, washing her hands and drying it on the white towel from the side. She smoothed out her bangs and noticed it was five minutes earlier than the expected time. Still, she calmed herself and ignored her beating heart, rushing to open the door and came face to face with Todoroki.

"Hey—morning!" Ayame greeted brightly.

Todoroki was wearing a simple white shirt and black pants; his bag was swung over his shoulder like usual and Ayame resisted the urge to blush. They were—accidentally—matching?!

"Morning," Todoroki answered back with a small nod.

She brushed a loose strand of hair away and turned away before he can see her blush.

"Okaa-san! Suzume! I'm going now!"

"Be careful!" Shiko called back.

"Bye-bye, Aya-nee!"

Ayame closed the door behind her and quietly, Todoroki raised his arm again. She held his right forearm this time, feeling a slight coolness on his skin but said nothing about it.

"Thanks for bringing me—sorry you got dragged into this again," Ayame began with an apologetic smile as they walked through the neighborhood.

"I offered," Todoroki said, not minding for their extended time together. If he was truthful to himself, he may have even admitted that he was uncertain when they would see each other next over the summer break. This was a perfect opportunity presented to him.

"It feels a lot better now," Ayame said, looking down at the still bandaged ankle. Although it did hurt when she walks, it was not as painful when she was first injured. "After I tattled to my mother about Aizawa-sensei, she immediately called him for an explanation. Unfortunately, he calmed her down but—I bet oji-san was nervous when she said _'what did you do to my daughter?'_ "

Ayame snickered to herself as she recalled that night. She did not have the intention of getting her uncle in trouble, as Aizawa would normally talk his way out of it, but it was still fun imagining the normally bored man trying to appease his older sister over the phone.

"Does that happen often?" Todoroki asked, curious about the family life Ayame had shared with him. Aizawa was their homeroom teacher and does not share parts about his life with his classmates but ever since Ayame had revealed their relationship with them, Aizawa was more open and—lively with their upperclassman.

"Not until recently," Ayame hummed, "When Yume-nee was in school, she kept their relationship a secret for all three years. She never said anything about oji-san bullying her in class but I think it's because he plays favorites," Ayame made a face—only to laugh off that remark because of how untrue it is. "Just kidding! Oji-san treats us all fairly."

Todoroki can see that as the case too. Although Aizawa often had a lazy indifference on, he was attentive to Ayame's schooling and listen to the sisters well.

"Ah, enough about me," Ayame said and shifted her attention to him, glancing at the snow white hair and deep, colorless eyes with curiosity. "I've always wanted to know—with your Quirks as they are, do you feel the change in weather? It's already summer and I must leave the fan in my room on or else I can't sleep."

After all of their physical contacts, Ayame had been wondering this little question for quite a while. His left side was a bit warmer than hers due to his Flame Quirk but his right side was slightly colder than hers due to his Ice Quirk. Was the rest of his body just as split perfectly down in the middle like so? During the Sports Festival, she does remember half of his shirt being burned off due to his flames…

Todoroki blinked, not realizing someone would ask him such a random question. Maybe it was because of the change in weather recently that prompted Ayame to wonder about the mundane things like this.

"I do…but it's probably not as prominent as you. If it's hot, my ice would counterbalance it. If cold, the heat will keep my body warm. If in extremities, I would feel uncomfortable," Todoroki answered after some thought.

True, he would use his Quirks to balance the other if he ever felt that way. As summer rolled around, Todoroki would admit to playing with his Ice Quirk just to feel the coolness the power would leave behind. As for during the winter, despite the chill, his body heat would just be comfortable enough to warm him.

"Ahh, how nice," Ayame sighed wistfully. "I wish I had a Quirk that could regulate my temperature."

Ayame looked seriously contemplating that Todoroki could not help but smile faintly. The arm she wrapped around suddenly dropped in temperature, causing wide lilac eyes to look at the exposed skin in surprise at the feathery white chill leaving his body.

"Ah—cold—" Ayame took her hand back, bringing the cold hands to her warm cheeks in bewilderment—before laughter left her lips. "Shoto-kun, if you indulge me like this, I might take advantage of you."

Her tone was teasing and revealed no harm but to him, Todoroki thought that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

"You already are, aren't you?" Feeling a bit playful himself, Todoroki turned the question to her as he continued to lift his arm, indicating for her to return her hold.

Ayame assumed he meant using him as walking support and was quick to defend herself—even if she did hold his arm again.

"Weren't you the one that volunteered?" Ayame reminded, trying to sound confident and not at all embarrassed.

Todoroki hummed; he was not referring to that but decided not to correct her. Yet.

"Then you're not taking advantage of me," Todoroki answered calmly. "But, even if you do, I'll make sure I won't be the one to lose out."

Ayame froze, eyes widening by his casual yet hidden remark. She was only joking! Of course, Ayame would never use others as such.

"Remind me to never cross you then," Ayame mumbled to herself.

He smiled but said nothing more.

* * *

 _At that time I thought_

 _If I use my Quirk_

 _just to see you laugh_

 _it was only a small price to pay._

 _[Entry 15]_

* * *

Once within the hospital, the two separated from each other. Shoto had instructed (not suggested, _instructed_ ) Ayame to find his mother's hospital room once she was done. Ayame numbly nodded her head and suddenly, her head was filled with questions regarding the woman that she could only hear so much about but—not once meet.

Ayame wondered of her appearance, if her personality to be cold and stoic like son—or playful yet firm like her mother. Due to hearing about Shoto's childhood, his treatment by both father and mother, there was a complicated feeling within her heart as she remembered the original reason the Todoroki matriarch was sent here.

It was in this same hospital—that Shoto had found her and confided in her the secrets he rarely reveals. It was here where their views of each other began to change, where mother-son relationship also began to change once more.

It felt… _intimate_.

Although Shoto had suggested it offhandedly, there was still anxiety in Ayame's heart to meet that person. His mother had impacted Shoto's life as much as Endeavor had. Whereas he was here reconciling the lost family bond from the past decade, Ayame was merely an outsider in the Todoroki household.

Those thoughts kept Ayame occupied the next hour as she waited to be examined. Even with a doctor checking her ankle and reapplying some ointment, then bandage, Ayame's head was elsewhere. She mindlessly noted that the doctor had mentioned the same thing Recovery Girl did before. The sprain will heal in a few days and continue to apply the healing ointment over it.

With a polite 'thank you' and bow, Ayame went downstairs to the pharmacy to collect the new bottle. Then, she headed back upstairs…to the hospital rooms holding patients within.

It wasn't long until Ayame found the room with the correct number, staring at the nameplate on the wall and reading the _kanji_ for 'Todoroki Rei' in neat strokes. The door was ajar just the slightest, not enough for Ayame to peek inside but wide enough to hear the mumbling of voices within.

She raised one hand up hesitantly, doubting herself to intrude on such a delicate moment between mother and son—but her knuckles already rapped on the wooden door before Ayame can pull away.

Inside, Shoto and Rei paused in their conversation at the light knock.

Shoto got up wordlessly to the door, as if already knowing who was on the other side. Rei looked at her son thoughtfully; he had mentioned in the beginning that he brought a friend with him to the hospital. But, what surprised her was Shoto personally getting up to open the door, greet the other person with a soft 'hey', and carefully took her hand to lead them back to his mother's side.

Rei's colorless eyes softened, a hidden shine in them as she saw the two teenagers walk over to the small table. Her attention was fully on the brunette with wide lilac eyes.

 _She's pretty_ , was Rei's first thought.

The girl quietly separated from Shoto to bow to her; neither formally but—just polite enough to show respect.

"H-hello! I am Sasaki Ayame, Shoto-kun's senpai. _Yoroshiku onegaishimasu_!"

Rei smiled. This was the girl her Shoto often mentions in passing. Although her son had told her about each of his classmates (no matter how vague some can be), it was not as much as his upperclassman. Plus, he allowed her to call him by his first name. _That_ already gave way to how close these two are.

"Please, no need to be so formal," Rei's voice was kind, soft in tone and gentle in her ears. The woman gestured to the empty chair on the table, silently glancing at her son to help. "I am Todoroki Rei, Shoto's mother. Thank you so much for taking care of my son."

Ayame straightened up and glanced at Shoto when he pulled out a chair for her. She sat down, albeit shyly, and waved her hands.

"Oh no—if anything, he's the one taking care of me!" Ayame laughed, glancing down at her injured ankle before looking up again. But, her gaze met the beautiful woman across from her and felt like there was something hidden behind the smile. It reminded Ayame of her mother—of Yume—and felt the corners of her lips twitch.

 _Is that…amusement?_

Rei continued to smile and took her hands off resting on the blanket on her lap. She reached for the teapot and poured a small cup for Ayame, gently sliding it to the girl between the little colorful confectionaries.

"I am thankful there is someone by his side when I am not," Rei said meaningfully, causing both teenagers to look at the older woman in slight confusion. "Eating all these sweets cannot be good for us. Shoto, can you pick up some fruits from the cafeteria?"

Before Shoto was able to sit, he was tasked with something. Ayame felt like an intruder and moved to help.

"I'll go instead—"

Shoto pressed a hand down on her shoulder before she even got out of her seat.

"You're injured," Shoto reminded, a slight scolding in his tone that was not missed by either woman. Ayame quieted down and Rei smiled again.

"Thank you, dear."

Shoto exited the room, gently closing the door behind and leaving Ayame with his mother. Quietly, the brunette studied the woman in front while slowly sipping the tea.

When Ayame first walked into the room and saw an older woman sitting down at the corner, the first word to pop in her mind was 'beautiful'. With shoulder length white hair that looked softer than snow and deep, colorless eyes that soothes one soul, Ayame nearly forgot to introduce herself if not for Shoto leading her in.

When she spoke, her voice was gentle yet elegant—a bearing that was long taught in the traditional households made to tie the red knot between her and Todoroki Enji. Although there were a few creases under her eyes from the years left in the hospital, she was still youthful and beautiful—nothing like anyone who birthed four children.

Ayame was in a daze.

Todoroki Rei…was nothing she had imagined. In truth, Ayame tried not to let her imagination run wild but she had not expected Shoto's mother to be so…clear-minded. It felt as if any worries Ayame thought of her before was not there anymore. But…because she could remember Shoto's story—can see his scar—Ayame dared not to look in Rei's eyes longer than two seconds.

Ayame cleared her throat. She should not be so nervous for their first meeting. Shoto had always been courteous to her own mother and Rei neither had an easy life. After all, Shoto loves her so much—and Ayame can see why.

"How long have you known my son?"

But Rei was the one to speak first, gentle yet inquiring about the two's friendship. Ayame blinked and looked up, subtly straightening her back to look just as refined as the woman before her.

"Since school began. Our commute to U.A. is the same but it wasn't until recently we became friends," Ayame answered honestly.

"I see," Rei had said but there was a solemn look in her eyes as she looked in her long cooled tea. The smile on her lips lessened just the slightest, her words soft as she continued, "I've never met Shoto's friends…or Fuyumi's…or Natsuo's…or Toya's… He was only five when I left… The days here began to meld together and before I knew it…ten years had already passed."

Ayame stayed quietly, listening to Rei's soft confessions with slight curiosity and confusion. Why…was she telling her this? Should Ayame pretend to not know anything—should she respond? And—why did Rei spoke as if she had left willingly when Enji sent her away?

Because in the end, Rei _did_ leave willingly. She had poured boiling water over her own flesh and blood—mentally and physically damaging the child at the tender age of five and could not face him again in fear of doing something worse. Rei was damaged; beaten and broken and regretted accepting a marriage that had once promised luxury and settled life.

But she never regretted having children. Rei never regretted the four beautiful children resulted from this arranged marriage. She loved them all and could only wish she had more time to spend with them. She had wished Enji would not obsess over All Might, would not separate the children from each other, would not constantly 'train' Shoto and ruin his childhood.

Yet the more she urged Enji to stop, the more he hurt her until she turned docile and scared of his every move, every breath he takes—where even a color could remind her of the man she called her husband.

And, Rei snapped.

That late night in the complex, her anxious call to her mother—trying to keep her sanity from the years or torture, the kettle emitting a high pitched whistle over the stovetop, and her fearful confession of wanting to escape it all. The soft call of the dear 'okaa-san' made her veins turn ice, worried that someone had overheard and would speak to Enji—would ruin her plans—and the boiling kettle was in her hands and she saw Shoto but not really Shoto because there was red on him and turquoise in his left eye and—

It took Rei years to accept what she had done.

It took many years for Rei to not collapse into tears and agony as she recalled that memory. The guilt was still there, eating up within all these years and wishing there was something she could have done. In the past decade, Rei drifted through time in a mindless haze, always wondering what she could have done to be a better mother, always wondering if there was ever a way for her to right what was wrong.

And, she wondered about her children. The eldest ones were sensible and grew up to be fine men and woman when she was not there but—they also needed to escape that household. Rei understood. She was just the same. But she could not be there for them when they needed her, trapped in this hospital with memories and guilt of the past.

Rei never took the initiative to ask about Shoto, too scared to know who he had become, too scared to know if he hated her as much as he hated Enji. Fuyumi would offer little facts but none too intimate, hesitant and awkward because even she knew him just as less as Rei.

So, Rei waited. She waited for Shoto to come first—for him to subside his hatred for her and come to accept her apology. Rei have imagined hundreds of scenarios to apologize to Shoto, to seek his forgiveness, and prepared her heart on the day of seeing him again.

"My other children had come to see me between the years but…Shoto was the biggest surprise. I… To him… I, as a mother, had failed him," Rei smiled bitterly and did not meet Ayame's gaze, clutching the cold teacup within her hands as the only comfort. "I understood if he never wanted to see me again."

"Shoto-kun never blamed you," Ayame was speaking before she could even think. She felt as if the suppressed emotions within Rei were similar to Shoto—too heavy to bear for one person. "He—loves you so, so much. It's true that things in the past are regretful but—what matters now is the present and future. The only thing you—anyone can do now, is to move forward."

There was no more unease in Ayame's voice as she comforted the woman, lilac eyes strong and unwavering from Rei's. The elder woman blinked in surprise, the corner of her eyes wet with unshed tears as she forced it back in. Rei does not know how much Ayame knew about their family circumstances—do not know the reason for her sudden boldness. But, Shoto _must_ have told her something for her to react this strongly.

And those simple words: _Shoto-kun never blamed you_ , was something Rei did not expect. When Shoto had come to see her, Rei had apologized and wished to move forward, scared to hear Shoto's true feelings and could only seek salvation as he walked down the path to be a hero of his own.

"I…had said the same thing when he first visited," Rei calmed down, the tears disappearing before she could blink but lowered her head again to avoid Ayame's gaze. "No words will ever be enough for me to apologize to Shoto. The times we have lost can only be made up now. That's why, I am truly grateful to see someone so kind by his side."

Ayame wondered if Rei purposely sent Shoto away just so she can tell her this. It was true; Ayame knew more about the Todoroki family than one could expect. She had seen the once-lost teen overcome his own hurdles in these past few months and become better from it. Although Ayame had always insisted she did not take any part in Shoto's growth, as she was the one to lash out in anger, Shoto had reminded her time and time again that she did. It made her wonder exactly how big of an impact she had in his world now—and how deep it was that it seemed even his own mother could see it.

"Shoto-kun has a lot of friends in 1-A," Ayame reassured, "As his senpai, it is my duty to look after him. You don't need to worry about him too much. If anything, I think he's happiest when he visits you."

Rei looked up, grey eyes meeting shining lilac ones and felt that she could trust this girl. A kind, yet playful smile was on Ayame's lips, trying to lighten the mood and comfort the guilt-ridden woman. Rei smiled again and reached one hand out to gently touch Ayame's.

"Thank you," Rei said earnestly, trying to convey the complicated feelings in her heart with just a simple touch but—Rei felt the weight lift off her heart to see such a sincere person.

The cold touch reminded Ayame of Shoto's before remembering that he had inherited his Quirk from _both_ sides of his parents. Rather than feeling awkward, Ayame felt the cold to be comforting at Rei's subtle show of fondness. The weariness in her eyes had diminished and in place was genuine gratitude and affection for her son.

Maybe—it was because Ayame was speaking with Shoto's mother than she could not help but be reminded of her own. Here, Rei was showing a weakness to Ayame that Shiko never expressed to her. Maybe it was because they were strangers that Rei felt comfortable to confide in Ayame.

And as she stared into those deep, grey eyes, Ayame realized she had not been able to see the same, overflowing affection from her own mother.

"My mother is blind," Ayame blurted out, startling Rei into looking at girl with slight shock and the brunette dipped her head low. "She—was injured during her hero years and was forced to retire. My mother—never told me or my sisters about her suffering so we…never brought it up."

Ayame felt as if she was sharing something unnecessary and blushed, looking off to the side awkwardly about how bad of a daughter she was.

"I think—it's very brave of Todoroki-obasan to be truthful with your son. If a child sees their parents suffering, they will also be in pain. Thank you…for telling me all of this. I hope your relationship with your children will only be closer now."

Rei smiled at that girl's pure gaze.

"You are a good girl, Ayame-chan. So please, call me Rei," the woman squeezed her hand once before letting go. With that pink blush spreading over Ayame's cheeks; it was simply adorable at how she can be flustered by the littlest things. "Your mother is proud of you. I believe if you speak with her, like how you did with me, she will also understand your suffering."

Ayame's eyes widened. She didn't want to say _she_ was the one hurting. But, Ayame wasn't able to refute her words when Rei gave her such a kind gaze, clear and gentle and Ayame could only nod her head.

* * *

It was hours later when Shoto walked Ayame home. The sun was still high in the sky, the civilians bustling about, and teenagers were plentiful as summer vacation finally arrived. However, Ayame had been oddly quiet as she allowed Shoto to escort her home once more, causing heterochromia eyes to glance at her every so often.

After Rei and Ayame's little talk, Shoto returned with an assortment of fruits. They had taken turns in peeling the skin and passing the apricot and peaches between the three of them. Shoto and Rei fell back into a natural conversation regarding school and his summer vacation; Ayame only spoke when prompted. As she listened to their simple conversations, she realized they would avoid specific matters regarding their family—specifically, the father.

When Ayame was lost in thought, Shoto naturally knew she was distracted. But he did not ask about anything, only sneaking the occasional glance here and there and would pass the fruit for her to eat in a daze.

Rei saw—and merely smiled.

"Did my mother say something to you?"

Now, Ayame snapped out of her thoughts to look at Shoto in wonder. What prompted him to ask her that? Rei was nothing but polite and kind when it was just the two of them.

"No—of course not. Why would you think that?" Ayame asked in confusion.

Shoto shrugged.

"You seem distracted."

It was true that she was distracted…but it was because Ayame was thinking of her own situation. Meeting Rei had eased her heart knowing that the woman was as generous as she was beautiful. She never told him—ever since Shoto had revealed what his mother had done to him; Ayame could only guess what type of woman would…do such a thing to her own son…

But, Rei was regretful and mournful; the years spent in the hospital had cleared her mind. There was still a lot Rei needed to make up for but—she was prepared to face them…face her children…

"Your mother is very beautiful," Ayame complimented suddenly, "I can see where you got your looks from."

Although Shoto's right side resembled her mother with white hair and grey eyes, Ayame was more referring to the soft facial features between the two. Enji's eyes were sharper and cold, his face rugged, jaw square, and a long nose. Rei was more feminine, possibly even more than most women Ayame passed by in the streets with gentle eyes framed by long lashes, a small nose, and a heart-shaped face.

And Shoto looked just like her. His chin was pointed, his cheeks soft, a small nose, and beautiful heterochromia eyes. It still carried a sharpness in them as his father but overall, he had similar features to his mother and—that made him just as attractive.

Once again, Ayame thought that Shoto was very handsome.

"When I was a kid, I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world," Shoto replied nonchalantly, causing Ayame to look at him in surprise—then excitement at how cute young-Shoto was.

"And now?"

He glanced at her—saw her sparkling lilac eyes and loose brunette hair framing her face—and felt his heart skip a beat.

"It still stands," Shoto's voice did not waver and Ayame laughed at that response. But, he held her gaze then, their steps slowed and the laughter subsided when he said, "But, very few have come close."

A small part of Ayame wished he meant her.

But that part was immediately trampled and ignored. Ayame forced a smile on her face, nodding her head and urging them to continue their walk home— _her_ home.

"Those girls are quite lucky then!" Although minimum, Ayame's voice cracked in the beginning before quickly corrected in the end.

Shoto hummed but…he did not understand why that was considered 'lucky'.

"How is that 'lucky'?" So he pressed on, wanting to understand why Ayame was suddenly walking a step faster than before.

Ayame startled—and turned her head to look at him as if she could not believe the words that left his mouth.

"Because you're beautiful," she blurted out—only to immediately gape and panic and her heart was racing while her face was red and—cursed herself again—why, why, _why_ does she not have a filter?! "I-I'm not calling you feminine—I just mean you're attractive! Girls would be honored to be called pretty by you—and—and—uh—I—"

Seeing her as a fumbling mess, Shoto did not want to save her from this conversation. It was not that he was offended, far from it. He merely thought it entertaining to see her try to explain herself from this compliment and felt the rare stroke of his ego flare up at her bashful gaze.

Because Ayame called him _attractive_.

So she does see him as a male.

"—o-oh, um, I—right! Suzume wanted me to show you this!"

Shoto watched as Ayame fumbled around in her little bag, pulling out a neatly folded white paper before unfurling it and turned it to him. It was a hand drawn picture in colored pencils and crayons, simple yet colorful with two people in the middle. One looked to be a boy wearing a regular navy shirt and black pants, hair split in half red and half white style with mismatched eyes. Next to him was a girl with long tan hair wearing a white and pink dress.

Shoto continued to stare at the picture, silently amused and admiring of her little sister to draw such a piece. But as the silence drawn on, Ayame felt self-conscious by his lack of reply and moved to hide the picture again.

"Uh—she just—I have no idea why she drew it—she—can be silly sometimes," Ayame hastily explained and Shoto finally snapped out of his daze, reaching out to take the little picture before she can put it away.

"This is good," he said, though lightly but filled with sincerity, "Can I keep this?"

Ayame's hands froze and her eyes widened again.

"S-sure," she stuttered without a thought and Shoto took the drawing to his own hands. He folded it back into the little square and tucked it neatly in his pocket, a half smile on his face before helping her home again.

When they neared her house, Shoto slowed his steps just for a bit, pondering over something to himself before shifting one grey eye to Ayame. She had been a little quiet today, more than usual, and although curious, he did not pry. Shoto believed that if she had something troubling her, she would share it when she's ready.

But as for now…

"This summer vacation," Ayame looked up, turning her head to listen to him talk, "Let's meet up again."

 _Let's meet up again._

He said—

Ayame finally realized, it _was_ summer vacation. School was out and students were out to play. She would not know if it was possible to see the other classmates again if not for a meet up.

And Shoto was the one who asked—who indicated—he wanted to see her again.

"Yeah," Ayame smiled, _I would like that—"_ It would be fun!"

But she suppressed her imagination from going wild, convincing herself he meant that as friends since it was normal for them to go out at least once in the summer. Ayame would meet up with plenty of friends over the summer, going to at least one outing during their little vacation, and would be assured 2-A have something planned.

So she tried not to overthink about Shoto's invitation, tried to keep the smile on her face from wavering, and avoided looking him in the eyes.

* * *

 _My mother told me_

 _the day after she met you,_

' _I like her. Bring her back again'._

 _Years later,_

 _when I began to seriously court you,_

 _she laughed and said,_

' _about time'._

 _[Entry 4]_

* * *

That night, Ayame set aside her hesitation and approached Shiko.

Yume was not home yet. Hiroshi was helping Suzume study. It left Shiko alone in her bedroom, the television turned on to a minimum and when Ayame saw her eyes, she looked to be in a daze.

But, at the slightest movement, Shiko had turned her head to the doorway. The blob of colors merged together and she only saw brown hair and black clothes.

Shiko does not know who was standing there.

"Yes?" But she still put on a smile because she knew it was one of her daughters.

Ayame walked in and sat on the bed, Shiko's eyes followed every movement. Once close, she saw the grey corneas again, where once there was a deep, abyssal black like her uncle's. Now, it was foggy and grey where light barely entered her eyes and was not filled with the shining emotions Ayame saw as a child.

Rei's conversation today really affected her. It made Ayame nostalgic and pensive as she thought of her mother who was once a hero people revered. Ayame can only scratch the surface regarding Shiko's disabilities, only guessing herself with the torture she felt and went through but—was never courageous to ask.

Now, as Ayame sat on the bed with her mother, she cannot remember the last time they hugged.

"Okaa-san," her voice was soft, unlike the usual liveliness, and Shiko felt the dip on the bed to grow deeper next to her. Then, she felt a body (head?) roll next to her side in a curled up position, startling Shiko because Ayame was never one to look so vulnerable.

Ayame may be loud, she may overreact, may get in trouble but—she never showed a weak side like this to her family. Since young, Ayame learned that her little issues were not something to be concerned about.

' _Yume is the older sibling so you must listen to her.'_

' _Suzume is still young, try to understand. She's just a kid.'_

' _Right now…your mother…'_

A self-deprecating part of her had believed that her issues were not as important as the rest of the family. Ayame understood ever since the accident, many things had changed for her—for her family—and she should not add onto the troubles. So Ayame never concerned her family with things she cannot solve on her own. She became the light in the house, always smiling and reassuring, picking up the chores Yume left behind and taking care of Suzume in ways Shiko cannot.

"What's wrong?" She immediately asked, one hand reaching down to comb through the tan tresses and although her eyes can scan over her body, Shiko cannot determine if Ayame was injured or not. "Are you hurt? Did you get in trouble with Aizawa-ojisan? The police? Tell me, I won't be mad."

Ayame's heart was warm at first for her mother's consideration before quickly slowing down again. A pout was on her lips though Shiko cannot see it.

"I'm not a troublemaker," Ayame whined; why do they always assume the _worst_ first?

"Could have fooled me from how you've been in the past semester," Shiko replied back just as unconvincingly. But, she calmed down her worries and continued to stroke her daughter's hair, wondering for this sudden visit. "What is it? Did you not have fun today with Todoroki-san and came to complain?"

Okay, how did the conversation turn to _him_ now?!

"No—that's not it!" Ayame refuted, her voice raised once more to her usual tone and Shiko smiled. That was the daughter she knew. "I just—today—…"

But Ayame trailed off, thinking about something again and Shiko waited.

"I met his mother today," Ayame began, hesitant about how much to share while Shiko gave her the time she needed. "She…was put into the hospital for a long time. When I spoke with her…she sounded very sad and…regretful. But, in the end, she was happy… Happy because of her children and…had come to terms with a few things herself."

"Oh?" Shiko hummed, showing that she was listening to Ayame's tale and knew there was something she was hiding. Being married to Endeavor does not sound like an enjoyable life. Although Shiko had heard bits and pieces regarding the Flame Hero, she was not acquaintances with him.

"Yeah," Ayame said absentmindedly. She felt that was as much she can speak about the Todoroki household and lifted her head, looking at her mother's calm face. "That's why, if okaa-san have issues, she can come to us. Like…the government notice. I won't be a spendthrift anymore."

That was not Ayame wanted to bring up but—it was a stepping point.

"Oh—why, you," Shiko was shocked for one second before smiling, her heart warm and cheeks hurt from how wide her smile was but—it's genuine.

She reached out to Ayame's face, stroking it in familiar manner of her soft cheek—before gently tugging on the skin. It was a habit Shiko had done so often to her because, although Ayame refused to admit it, she was a notorious troublemaker in their household. It was so common that Yume had also adopted that notion and only initiate it when she wanted to scold her younger sister.

"When did you become so sensible?" Shiko teased but her tone was warm. But, she could sense her daughter's undertone and knew what Ayame wanted to comfort but—did not bring it up. Shiko was appreciative of her thoughtfulness; her fingers stopped pinching the reddened cheek. "Thank you, Aya, but don't be too hard on yourself. Your parents are here for a reason."

Although her eyes were blinded now and it no longer held the vast emotions within them as Ayame once seen as a child, Ayame felt the love just the same. It was foolish of her to doubt her mother when—all of Shiko's actions had proven otherwise.

Shiko may not be able to see but her smiles had always been comforting and reassuring. Her tone was just as playful and loving. What she had once affectionately look at them with those pitch black eyes was only replaced by the need to hold her children longer and frequently.

Ayame smiled and nodded her head. Quietly, she laid her head down again so her mother could stroke her hair, both listening to the echo from the television together.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I felt like the manga/anime did not really go in depth with Rei's recovery and emotional status so I improvised. I kinda wished we got to see more of her regretting and apologizing to Shoto… The anime did show really impactful scenes on Rei's downfall so I hope I wrote it well enough. I apologize for the dark themes but I tried to keep it vague as possible.

Still sick…still coughing a lot… Taking a short break from writing for now ;o;;;

Please review if you enjoy this series. I see a lot of silent readers and I appreciate all the ones to reach out to say something for this story. It really means a lot to me.

Follow **privatecardy** (Instagram) for art~


	24. Just Another Obligatory Pool Episode

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

"The school pool?"

Ayame sat on her bed with mild interest, one hand held the silver smartphone and the other hand held the rectangular console, the word 'PAUSE' flashed in white on the screen. The soft electric hum from the fan by her bed continued to echo softly in the background, matching the birds singing outside the hot summer day.

" _Un!"_ Ochako's voice agreed from the other line, _"Momo-chan put in a request for us to use the pool tomorrow! This—isn't too short of a notice, is it? Are you recovered now, senpai?"_

Due to all the recent attacks regarding U.A. High School, the students were advised to not take a long summer vacation for the next month. It has been a week since summer break and Ayame's summer internship has not began with Aizawa yet.

Also; Ayame glanced down at her un-bandaged ankle, twisting it left and right without feeling any pain and smiled to herself.

"I'm recovered! I can go tomorrow," Ayame reassured happily. Since she took a trip to the hospital with Shoto two days ago, her ankle had been healed since then. She can easily walk without assistance and there was no more lingering pain or numbness at every step.

" _Great!"_ Ochako returned the enthusiasm and excitedly began to talk about the other girls joining them for tomorrow. And, she briefed Ayame about the time to meet up at school and after a few more chattering regarding their vacation so far, they hung up.

* * *

Her family was content with Ayame leaving the house again with a few friends. Last year, Ayame spent most of her time at home playing video games and catching up on some shows, only going out a few times with Hotaru and other class 2-A members before returning home. Seeing as how she already left the house more often in the first week of her break compared to a month from last year, Shiko urged her to go out more.

Once again, Ayame wondered to herself if her family thinks she does not have friends.

Ayame waved behind her as Suzume watched her leave the house. Seeing her little sister's lonely figure standing by the doorway, Ayame promised to herself to bring Suzume outside the house more often for this summer. For now, Ayame zipped up the casual jacket over her swimsuit and swung her bag around her shoulders, checking the time on her phone to make sure she would not be late.

Roughly thirty minutes later, Ayame arrived at the now-empty school with a few minutes to spare. Although the students were out on summer vacation, there were still a few supplement classes that others may take, teachers would still be arriving for work, and others, like Ayame and 1-A, would be using the many facilities offered in this prestigious school.

With a smile, Ayame entered the school grounds when her badge granted her clearance from the scanners. She headed to the changing rooms for the pool, sending a quick text to the girls that she had arrived—and received one from Hagakure immediately that they were already in the locker room. Ayame adjusted her bag and walked a bit faster, entering building and into the room to see six other girls already within.

"Hey!"

"Hello, Ayame-senpai!" A chorus of greetings rang out.

The older girl smiled and set her bag on the bench, unzipping the jacket and shrugged it off to reveal the standard girl's U.A. swimsuits, just like the rest of the students. Ayame took off the capris shorts next and shoved the items in a locker, then reached around to gather her hair.

"Thanks for inviting me out," Ayame said casually, brushing her long strands of hair with her fingers before putting it into a bun, "I don't think my parents would appreciate me wasting another summer away."

"Oh? Did you have no plans?" Tsuyu asked with a tilt of her head.

"Aizawa-sensei is supposed to train me in another week," Ayame shrugged, "For my summer internship. So, I don't have much to do besides waiting for him. Besides, we're not allowed to take long-term trips."

Not that Ayame can afford it. In all honesty, she was content with staying home in front of a cool fan and finally beat her video games. But, going out to see her adorable little kouhais didn't seem so bad.

"Ah, that's why we're here," Ochako giggled.

"I was supposed to take a trip to Venice with my family but due to U.A.'s request, we cannot go." Yaoyorozu informed. Ayame resisted gaping. She knew Yaoyorozu was possibly a rich girl based on the little stories Ashido had mentioned before but—she did not know the extent of her wealth. "But, hanging out with friends over summer vacation sounds just as delightful!"

The girls smiled at Yaoyorozu's pure excitement. Although Yaoyorozu was considered a 'rich heiress', she had the same innocence, if not more, as any other teenagers.

"Well, let's go!" Ashido exclaimed excitedly.

The seven of them headed towards the pool in a short walk. It was just the seven of them for the moment and they set aside the fluffy towels on a chair under the umbrella. They began to put sunscreen on their arms, legs, and face, all while chatting casually with another about mundane things.

It wasn't long until the door to the pool opened again. That time, multiple people began to enter within and Ayame blinked once she realized they were the 1-A boys.

What were they doing here?

"Oh! You girls are here too?" Iida greeted with enthusiasm, his short hair was hidden under a yellow cap and glasses were substituted into black swimming goggles.

"Hey!" They greeted back in mild surprised but just as excited.

"You guys requested to use the pool, too?" Ochako asked curiously.

"We're here for endurance training!" Kirishima pumped his fist up.

"We didn't realize you'll be here too," Sato blinked.

Ayame hummed. Wait; didn't this seem a little _too_ much of a coincidence? She brought one hand up under her chin in contemplation; it felt like an important key was missing from this accidental meetup.

"Is your leg alright?"

But before she can ponder any longer, Ayame was startled out of her thoughts by a low, calm voice addressing her. She looked up, lilac eyes blinking at the heterochromia boy a few feet away approaching her. He was only wearing the U.A. issued school swim shorts, revealing his bare upper torso just like the rest of the guys. However, Ayame felt her eyes drift a little downwards to his toned abs before hastily darting away to the clear pool instead.

"It's fine now," Ayame mentally applauded herself to sound normal.

It has been only two days before they somehow met again but the last words Shoto left to her made Ayame think. Again. It was giving her unnecessary thoughts and expectations, something she taught herself since middle school to control. Two days were not enough for Ayame to completely flush out her previous thoughts and had turned to manga and games to distract herself.

"Ah—let's begin stretching!" Ayame turned to the girls with a bright smile—so casual and so normal that Shoto merely blinked at how fast Ayame left his side.

But no one else seemed to notice the shift in mood and Shoto did not say anymore. And so, the seven girls began to stretch by the edge of the pool, doing the routine stretches taught by their teachers and watched as more and more boys entered the area.

Once again, they were class 1-A boys and everyone began to do their own stretches or chatting while waiting for the rest to arrive. The girls switched from one routine to another before, at last, the door burst open to reveal an energetic blonde and a short purple haired boy bursting into the pool area.

"Oh, Mineta-chan," Tsuyu greeted casually.

"Kaminari, you came, too?" Jirou noticed.

At the sound of the two boy's name, something clicked in Ayame's head. _Wait—were they the ones…that planned this?_

Kaminari looked disappointed but Mineta was fully sitting down across the pool, smiling at them. Ayame felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Hey…don't tell me…"

But she trailed off when she saw Iida approach the two classmates with wide arms.

"Kaminari-kun, Mineta-kun! It was a great idea to suggest endurance training at school! I'm impressed! Now, why don't you come and sweat with the rest of us?"

Ayame snickered to herself and watched as Iida dragged the two of them to join the rest of the classmates to 'train'. But at that time, her eyes met mismatched ones of grey and turquoise again, causing the laughter to die down in her throat and heat to rush up from her neck. With a quick smile to him, Ayame avoided her gaze and watched as the girls jumped into the cool water one by one. Ayame grabbed the beach ball from the bench and tossed it to Ashido. Then, she proceeded to jump into the pool with a laugh.

 _I'm here to have fun_ , Ayame resurfaced and swung her head to fling away the little water droplets. _What am I so worked up for?_

And, Ayame did have fun. It did not take longer than a few minutes for her to lose herself in the simple game of tossing the beach ball around. At first, it was easy with controlling one ball between the seven of them but when Hagakure hopped out of the pool to get the second one, it turned into a mess trying to juggle two balls at once.

Kaminari and Mineta looked envious and depressed as they watched the girls laughing and playing on the side of the pool. They flopped onto the wet concrete with labored breaths, finally relieved to take a short fifteen minute break from their rigorous training. Mentally, they blamed Midoriya for always being so diligent. If it wasn't for him—none of their other classmates would be here!

"You know, I think I'm starting to see the appeal of the swimsuits, too," Kaminari said with a small sigh, his eyes sneaking glances towards the girls occasionally.

"I told you," Mineta grinned and attempted to keep his voice to a minimum. But, the way he leered at the girls and the subtle drool threatening to slip out indicated he has less than appropriate thoughts about his classmates. "The swimsuit shows off every curve of their body. Senpai's body is nearly on par with Yaoyorozu's—! Look at those le—"

An opaque serpent darted towards the duo, snarling and glaring despite no noises were emitted from its lips. Mineta clamped up and his eyes turned wide and white when the long serpent body slowly curled around the two.

"Do you want to finish that?" Ayame asked with a glare, one finger pointed up in their direction as black smoke wrapped around her arm to form the summon.

"N-n-no—no—no!"

Jirou and Ashido gave them a disgusted look while the other girls shied away. Iida approached the boys, a subtle 'you deserved it' flashed by his face before he turned to his upperclassman.

"Senpai! Would you girls like some refreshments?" Iida called out.

At that, the girls in the water perked up by the handful of drinks in the boy's arms. The serpent uncoiled around Mineta to approach Iida, shifting its body so Iida can put the drinks in it.

"Yes, please!"

Iida put the seven drinks in the body and the serpent returned to Ayame's side. They left the pool and passed the drinks to each other, sitting under the shade of the umbrella and waved to Iida happily as he approached Midoriya next.

"Hah, that was fun," Jirou said with a small exhale, grinning as the other girls lounged on the chairs.

"Those earphone jacks pack quite a punch!" Ochako complicated with a giggle, opening the can in her hand while Ayame took a large swig of hers.

"We should meet up more for the summer!" Hagakure suggested and they could tell she was excited by the can swinging wildly around. They laughed when she opened her own can a second later—only for a burst of soda to spill from the top before the invisible girl hurried to drink it down.

"You are all welcomed to my house!" Yaoyorozu suggested with a childish gleam, "We also have an indoor and outdoor pool at our residence. And, our chefs make the best fruity desserts to compliment tea time!"

One single thought ran through the six other girls' head as Yaoyorozu smiled innocently at them.

 _How bourgeois!_

In the end, they laughed at the common thought they saw on each other's faces before nodding happily in the smiling girl's direction.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, Momo-chan!" Ayame was the first to speak up, leaning on Yaoyorozu warmly.

"Yes, please do!"

"Then let's plan our next hangout!" Ashido chimed in and clapped her hands.

"Ah—I'll be free for one more week though," Ayame made a mental count in her head, "Aizawa-sensei will begin my training soon."

"Ohh—! Aizawa-sensei will be personally training you?!" Ochako gasped in surprise.

"Our summer camp would not begin for another two weeks," Tsuyu pointed out, "Will you be joining us, senpai?"

Ayame shrugged. Her uncle had not told her the specifics yet but if she would be interning under him, that meant she would be following him, too.

"Yeah, I think so," Ayame said with a bright smile.

Their conversation was interrupted when the door slammed open again, causing everyone to turn their attention to the raging ash blonde that had just arrived with Kirishima shaking his redhead behind him.

"There's no way I'd lose to a damn nerd like you!"

Obviously, Bakugo's attention was on poor Midoriya but everyone knew that he was referring to the others too. Ayame propped one hand to her chin and watched Kirishima holding Bakugo back from tearing Midoriya apart.

"I was wondering why it was so quiet," Ayame hummed.

"There's never a break with Bakugo-chan around," Tsuyu added.

The girls shared a small laugh again and watched as Kirishima greeted the others. However, Bakugo's attention was still on the short boy as he raised his sparking hands up in the air, crimson eyes menacing and challenging.

"Hey, damn Deku! You wanna decide things right now? Huh?" Bakugo taunted.

"N-no…uh—"

"It's true that just training isn't that interesting." Iida noted to himself, "Everyone, do you want to see which of the boys can swim 50 meters the fastest?"

"Yeah!"

"Sounds fun!"

The boys agreed to the challenge and sharing one look with each other, Ayame and the rest went up to the class representative.

"We can help," Ayame volunteered with the rest of class 1-A.

Iida gave them a grateful look. "Thanks!"

"What about Quirks? Can we use them?" Ojiro asked next.

"We're at school so there shouldn't be any problems," Iida answered. But, at Bakugo's wild grin, he quickly added, "However, you cannot cause damage to any people or buildings!"

With the basic rules down, everyone seemed confident with their abilities. Bakugo approached Midoriya again, glaring at the short boy who look determined to not lose.

"I'll crush you, Deku!" He whipped his head around to where Shoto was sitting against the wall, crimson eyes narrowing at the calm boy. "Of course, I'll crush you, too, Half-and-Half Bastard!"

Ayame watched as he only gave a small nod in acknowledgement but based on the serious look in his eyes, she knew Shoto was taking this little competition seriously, too. Since the Sports Festival, many challenges had sparked in them as they saw their classmates battle against each other. Although Bakugo had won against Shoto, the blonde was upset that he did not use his full potential against him. And—with Midoriya taking first place in the obstacle course race, that had bruised both powerhouses' ego.

Yaoyorozu created a whistle with her Quirk and took her place at one end of the pool where a few others had gathered. Jirou and Ashido had helped separate the groups already to see which heat would compete first and the others waited their turn. Ayame walked over to the other end just so she can have a clear look at who would reach the finish line first. Thinking to herself and at the uneven view of the lanes, Ayame created the medium size tengu and flew up.

"Ah, a bird's eye view is certainly the best," she said to no one in particular and watched as the others took their place.

"Then, on your marks..." At Yaoyorozu's voice, the first pool consisting of Mineta, Tokoyami, Koda, Bakugo, and Kaminari prepared themselves, "Get set…"

The whistle sounded and everyone jumped into the water.

Well…not everyone…

"Explosive Speed Turbo!" Bakugo used his explosions to fly through the air and landed on the other side of the pool easily—without touching the water once. "How was that, you extras?!"

"What do you mean 'how was that'?!" Sero screamed and pointed back at him.

"You didn't even swim!" Kirishima echoed back and pointed at him.

"It's freestyle!" Bakugo argued, hands flaring up again.

Ayame stayed agape on her tengu as she watched them argue below. Just—what the heck?! Ayame rubbed her forehead; in a way…that…counted?

"Alright, who's next?" Ayame asked when the remaining students finished swimming to the other side.

Sero, Aoyama, Shoto, Sato, and Kirishima took their place. Yaoyorozu began her count again and as soon as the whistle blew, everyone sprang into action. Sero immediately shot tape out of his arm to latch onto the other side, sliding over the water with ease while Aoyama fired his navel laser backwards to propel himself through the air.

Shoto had created ice under his feet to slide over the water and it seemed as though he was faster using his ice over water than concrete ground. Kirishima and Sato were the only ones swimming but they stood no chance against Shoto's Quirk and the competition dwindled when Aoyama crashed into Sero by accident with the loss of control.

The ice stopped forming and Shoto hopped off effortlessly at the end, giving a small glance at Ayame as the referee and she gave him a helpless smile and a small shake of her head. Just like Bakugo, he won without even being in the water.

"You're supposed to be swimming!" Mineta and Kaminari cried out in anger.

Shoto only shrugged.

"If we gave a pass for Kacchan then Shoto-kun is the same," Ayame defended from above.

Reluctantly, the others agreed and waited as Sato and Kirishima finished to the end. Aoyama and Sero were already done considering how Aoyama had slammed into the other boy. A few minutes passed as the last heat made their way to the springboard. Iida, Midoriya, Ojiro, and Shoji took their marks and Yaoyorozu readied her whistle.

" _Feeeee_!"

The whistle blew and the four jumped into the water. Ojiro and Midoriya looked even in their swimming style, fighting for first and it finally looked like a real swimming match. However, Ayame noticed from above at how Iida balanced on the floating borders of the lane and used his engine to sped past everyone.

"You too, Iida?!"

But Ayame was paying close attention as Midoriya activated his Quirk, glowing the same lightning green as before and swam with more gusto. Iida noticed the competition catching up and soon, the two were neck to neck. She hovered above them with wide eyes, making sure to not lose track of any of their movement because finally—this was what a real race should look like!

And then—a hand slammed onto the other end of the pool. Ayame gasped and floated down, the tengu disappearing into smokes around her before she helped lift Midoriya out of the pool.

"Deku-kun wins!"

"Wow!"

"Good job, Midoriya!" Sero cheered.

"You were so close, Iida!" Ashido followed up.

Midoriya blushed from the attention and the cheering from his fellow classmates. Ayame was still holding onto his hand before he carefully pulled it away, trying to prevent his cheeks going from pink to red at her intimacy. She seemed to have not noticed anything and the two moved to help Iida up from the pool.

"You beat me, Midoriya-kun," Iida had admitted but he was not disappointed.

"Iida-kun, you were amazing too," Midoriya smiled.

Ayame giggled to herself. These two were seriously good friends and stay humble even when they win or lose. However, her eyes drifted to the heterochromia boy near the back, his mismatched eyes quietly studying them and were thinking of something she could not decipher. With the four of them here, Ayame couldn't help but remember the last time the four of them were together, they were fighting against the Hero Killer; Stain.

Everyone gathered around as the competition neared the end. While most were upset with their losses, it was also expected that the grand finalists were Bakugo, Shoto, and Midoriya. While Iida would have been an obvious choice, his Quirk was better suited on the ground than in water.

"The winner of each heat—Bakugo-kun, Todoroki-kun, and Midoriya-kun—will race for first place," Iida said, "Will that be alright?"

"Yup," the three of them agreed instantly.

"Hey, Half-and-Half Bastard! Don't hold back like you did at the Sports Festival," Bakugo scowled. "Come at me seriously!"

Shoto took his proclamation with a stern nod. He was not willing to hold back anymore.

"Alright."

"You too, damn Deku!"

"A-alright, Kacchan."

The three separated and Ayame flew back onto the tengu. Iida replaced Yaoyorozu at the starting line while Ayame waited at the back. The three of them looked focus on this little competition and quietly, Ayame wondered who would win. Bakugo and Shoto had always been strong but lately, Midoriya was stepping up his game against the others. Considering how Bakugo and—even Shoto and Iida consider him a rival, it shows how high of an importance they put on him.

"Then, the 50-meter freestyle race will begin now!"

"Go, Bakugo!" Kirishima cheered.

"Don't kill the other guys!" Kaminari added.

"Todoroki! Don't lose!" Sero yelled.

"Do your best, Deku-kun!" Ochako called out.

"Everyone, fight!"

Ayame smiled and waved a little. Although she should not cheer as prominent as the others considering how she was a 'referee' now, her gaze lingered on Shoto for just a second longer.

"On your marks," Iida raised one hand and the other held the whistle, "Get set…"

Bakugo's hands were sparking with explosions. Shoto's right arm was covered in a thin layer of frost already. Lightning green sparks coursed through Midoriya's body in preparation.

The whistle blew, signaling the three to begin and all of them jumped. But, before they even landed in the water, their Quirks did not activate and all of them froze by the sudden shift in momentum. Ayame's eyes widened—there was only one person capable to do that—but before she can greet her uncle, her summon also disappeared beneath her.

"How did I get dragged into this?!" Ayame hollered and fell into the water with a huge 'splash' right after the three students.

Summer was hot and the water was cool but Ayame did not appreciate dunking into the water without warning. She swam upwards and gasped for air, flinging the water from her face and wiped it from her eyes. Aizawa strolled over to the group with his Quirk still activated, glancing at Ayame once before turning to the students.

"It's 5 P.M. Your pool use time has now ended. Hurry up and go home," Aizawa instructed.

"C'mon, Aizawa-sensei!" Kaminari tried to argue.

"We just got to the good part!" Sero pointed towards the three students in the pool while Ayame climbed out.

Aizawa's eyes flashed red again, glaring at the two that had spoken.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing, sir!" Everyone agreed.

Ayame laughed quietly and took the towel from the bench to dry herself. The girls gathered around to collect their things and together, they made their way to the locker.

"I can't believe it's already 5!" Ochako's voice echoed in the locker room as she changed in the shower around the corner.

Everyone had their own shower to change in and Ayame was no different. She shed the wet suit off her body and took a quick shower to wash off the chlorine.

"Ne, do you guys want to grab a bite to eat now?" Hagakure asked excitedly, already changed into a tank top and shorts.

"I'm down!" Ashido called out from her shower.

"Me too!" Ochako echoed back.

Ayame turned the shower off and began to dry herself. She quickly put on her undergarments and slipped a tank top over her head. She wore her capris shorts again and threw the towel around her long hair before stepping out.

"I can stay for food," Ayame headed towards her locker and sent a quick text to her father.

"I would love to join you all," Yaoyorozu was combing her hair by the bench and Tsuyu nodded her head in agreement.

"Sounds fun," Jirou confirmed as last with a small smile, "All that playing made me hungry."

Quickly, the others began to finish up and worn the extra clothes they had brought along. Ayame tied her jacket around her waist for the moment as the weather was still humid and together, they walked out of the locker rooms and to the entrance.

Along the way, they saw a few other 1-A boys still around and chit chat with them. They had told them of their plans to eat but when Kaminari and Mineta asked if they could join, Jirou immediately scowled.

"This is a girl's day only!"

The two sulked and the others laughed. Ayame brushed back her damp hair and patted Kaminari on the back.

"Maybe next time."

As they neared the entrance/exit, they saw a few others lingering around. Ayame felt herself froze at the sight of the half-and-half boy leaning against the wall with Iida and Midoriya around him. When they neared them, Ochako had greeted Midoriya loudly and the three's attention had turned to the girls.

"You guys are still here?" Jirou asked casually.

"We saw Todoroki-kun waiting here and decided to wait with him!" Iida said and suddenly, their gaze landed on the stoic boy. But, his attention was not on them when he looked at the quiet brunette, slightly tilting his head to the exit.

"You ready?"

Now, they turned their attention to Ayame. In 1-A, it was no secret that Shoto would walk their upperclassman home before. A few others had seen them journey to and from school a few times already but it was not something they cared to disclose. But, before they left for summer vacation, they had clearly seen how their stoic classmate escorted Ayame to and from school due to their injured ankle.

That was why; no one was surprised to see Shoto ask that question. But, they were definitely amused, curious, and maybe a little expectant of Ayame's answer.

She felt the gaze around her and smiled uncaringly—because, they were making a big deal out of _nothing_. Although she felt the initial flutter of her heart by such an innocent question, Ayame reminded herself to _don't be an idiot_.

"I'm going out to eat with the girls!" Ayame replied in her usual, cheery manner. It was so natural that the others suspected nothing of it but—Shoto narrowed his eyes nearly a centimeter.

She was avoiding his gaze.

"Tch, at least Todoroki got rejected, too," Mineta mumbled to himself as a way of comfort.

"C'mon, guys!" Kaminari recovered the previous 'heartbreak' and turned to the boys, "We will have our own 'boy's night'!"

Shoto opened his mouth to protest but Kaminari already swung an arm around his shoulder. The girls giggled and began to walk ahead first. Ayame glanced back and waved behind her.

"See you guys next time!"

The girls made a left and the boys turned to the right.

* * *

They arrived at a café Hagakure recommended just a train stop away. Ayame called Hotaru to join them since it was near her house and the firefly hero arrived at the café first to save their seats. With a happy greeting, Ayame sat next to Hotaru on the table made for eight, facing the four other girls across from her.

Ayame spoke with Hotaru about the break so far and how they had played at the school pool. She had wanted to invite Hotaru earlier in the day but the girl was busy babysitting her younger siblings and was not free until now. Together, the large group of eight girls discussed with each other about the meals and drinks, all ordering an assortment of entrees to share later.

It was a mix of traditional Japanese cuisine in a modern setting. While the food followed the usual sense of common meals shared by families, the chefs also added their own unique flair to the piece. It also helped that the menu was reasonably priced, something the teenage girls can afford as they picked to their liking.

In a collected yet animated state, the girls recapped the events of the pool competition and fun to Hotaru. The short girl took in the explanation with amazed interest, trying to imagine the 1-A students she barely familiarized and connected to the stories told by their classmates.

Yet, when Ayame casually mentioned the responsible class president, Hotaru's freckles glowed in a faint spark and the brunette resisted the snicker in the rise of her throat. Noticing her friend's not at all subtle show of her teasing, Hotaru huffed and nudged Ayame in the side.

Ashido caught onto the minor interaction, the wheels turning in her head by the flustered state of Hotaru and gasped. She glanced in Hagakure's direction and although the pink alien could not see her friend's reaction, she knew the invisible girl was just as excited by the waving of her chopsticks.

"Ne, ne, Hotaru-senpai!" Hagakure spoke up with a small gasp, "Are you… _curious_ about our class president?!"

Well, 'curious' was not the correct term to use for Hotaru but Hagakure did not feel close enough to tease her upperclassman like so. It was one thing teasing Ayame-senpai since they see her more often, but they still tried to keep polite regarding Ayame's close friend.

Immediately, Hotaru's cheeks flashed more, her eyes glowing faintly under the yellow lights in the restaurant and the remaining girl's attention turned to her. Jirou and Yaoyorozu looked slightly taken back by the sudden shift in conversation. Tsuyu and Ochako broke from their light chatter and while the former's expression did not change, the brunette felt a sudden flush to her cheeks at the direction the conversation had headed.

But, the worst of all was Hotaru, her mind blanking and cheeks reddening by the seven pairs of eyes on her form. Although Ayame had often mentioned Iida in passing, she would not openly ask her until the girl herself was ready. With the tactless question by Hagakure, whom she knew held no harm, Hotaru still felt embarrassed and—possibly a stuttering mess in her denial.

"N-no-no-noo!" Hotaru barely squeaked out, "I-I l-like hearing stories—a-about everyone!"

A few of them relaxed but Ashido had a knowing grin on her face. Seeing her upperclassman flounder around was interesting and—cute—in her opinion. The neon glow to her cheeks and eyes were captivating and more than just the girls at the table were staring at Hotaru.

"Is that so~?" Ashido asked in a sing-song voice, fully intent on teasing the poor girl even more if not for Ayame finally stepping in.

"Okay, Mina-chan, that's enough for now," Ayame lightly admonished but it held no ill-will. She shielded Hotaru with half of her body so her friend can take a few seconds to calm herself. "You have to share something about yourself if you want to hear more."

That did not alleviate their curiosity from Hotaru but it was enough to distract their attention to Ashido. The girl in question pouted just the slightest and leaned on her hand set on the table.

"I have nothing to share!" Ashido answered, "The boys aren't interesting enough in our class. But—I don't mind trading class presidents if you agree, senpai!"

Hagakure laughed in agreement while Ayame looked bewildered by the suggestion.

"You know that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Ayame mused to herself—receiving more laughter from the girls around the table. Everyone in school already knew of Ayame and the Takarada heir's terrible relationship. Although they do not know the cause of it, they merely speculated that some people just had conflicting personalities with each other.

"How about we trade Todoroki-kun, too, for the two class reps?" Hagakure threw out, receiving a high-five from Ashido for the promptly asked question. The other girls looked surprised by the offer before turning to see how their upperclassman would reply.

"What? Why?" Ayame asked with furrowed eyebrows, trying to resist the pout on her lips by the girl's teasing.

"Because you two just get along _so_ well," Ashido sang again, alien gold eyes gleaming with glee.

"Ohhh, that's true," Ochako agreed, not in the sense of teasing but—to state the facts, "Todoroki-kun had walked Ayame-senpai to school a few times already!"

Ayame turned to Ochako in disbelief, not appreciating the way the younger girl reminded everyone of the past couple of weeks and their growing friendship. Ochako giggled sheepishly by the mock-betrayed look by her upperclassman.

"Friends can walk each other to school!" She felt a sense of déjà vu hit her as she said those words. Wasn't it just recently she had said nearly the same thing to Suzume? "Like—like—if Deku-kun suddenly began to walk Ochako-chan to school often, does that mean they're interested in each other?"

Quickly, Ayame threw the question back to Ochako. Now, it was the younger girl's turn to flush and waved her hand wildly in denial. She mentally blamed Aoyama for planting that little question in her mind during their final exam, not completely able to forget the simple 'do you like him' whenever she saw the moss haired boy.

"N-n-no! O-of course not!"

At Ochako's blatant refusal, Ayame blinked and paused. Maybe…she hit that question a little too close to Ochako's heart for her to react…nearly the same as Hotaru. The girl had finally calmed down and instead, was keeping track of the conversation but said nothing. She'd rather not have the talk of love be shifted back to her.

"Oh-ho~ That's not suspicious at all," Ashido snickered.

"C'mon," Jirou finally spoke up with a helpless smile, her attention were on the two rowdy girls who knew no bounds when it comes to teasing, "You guys act as if this is the only romance you've ever heard of."

Since Jirou spoke up, their attention shifted to the punk and she immediately regretted helping. Jirou raised up her hands in defense, staring at Ashido pointedly as if warning her to begin teasing her.

"Before you ask; no, I am not interested in anyone nor do I want to," Jirou stated.

They shared another laugh that despite Jirou's absolute denial, there was still a tint of pink to her cheeks.

"I agree with Kyoka-chan," Tsuyu said in her usual calm tone, wide eyes looking at the rest of the girls, "I want to be a hero first before a relationship."

"A high school romance does sound fun," Yaoyorozu giggled behind her hands, "But, now may not be the time for one."

"Boo," Ashido pouted at their refusal, saying in an exasperated tone, "We're at the prime of our youth! Yet you guys are thinking like adults!"

"Maybe I should introduce you to Aiko-chan and Eimi-chan. They never stop talking about love," Ayame laughed.

"Ayame-senpai, you still haven't admitted your relationship with Todoroki-kun yet!" Hagakure pointed out.

The brunette paused—before sighing dramatically. Why wouldn't they let this go? First it was the boys and now—here they were.

"Shoto-kun and I are just friends. It's not anything romantic you guys are imagining," Ayame said curtly, the serious tone in her voice caused the others to lose the playful atmosphere. "I confessed to someone once but he didn't feel the same. Since then, I've decided not to pay attention to those things."

Ayame ended that brief heartbreak with a shrug, showing a disinterest to her first love. She would not admit how that had scarred her confidence over the years, did not mention how his rejection tore something apart that was more than her heart.

Quietly, Hotaru glanced at her friend without a word. She knew, the more offhanded Ayame appeared about a subject, the worse it had actually affected her. This was the first time she had heard such a thing from her friend herself and—Hotaru wondered if there was more to the story than Ayame let on.

* * *

Ayame arrived back home without any incidents. After her little sharing during dinner, she realized how heavy the mood had become and swiftly changed the topic. Sometimes, it was just so easy for her to change her tune back to the happy, simple-minded girl everyone sees her as. She had been doing it for years. It was just a way for others to not mind too much about her and not for her to dwell on useless things.

The sky was dark but a few rooms in her home were illuminated with the fluorescent lights. She could tell based on the lights that her parents were still awake in the room and someone was still in the living room. Since their family could be considered large for the five of them, it was not unusual in Ayame's eyes to see her family awake.

Still, she quietly opened the door to their house and locked it behind her, rounding the corner of the entrance to the living room. Yume was sitting on the couch with the tablet on her lap, the television playing some news on the background in a low volume. At the sight of her sister entering, Yume turned her head towards her with a smile.

" _Okaeri_ , Ayame."

" _Tadaima_ ," Ayame smiled in return.

The younger sister headed towards the couch and flopped down to sit next to Yume with a content sigh. Ayame peeked at the open tablet, catching more news and articles and nearly rolled her eyes. Her sister was such a workaholic, even at home.

"How was dinner?" Yume asked casually, subtle locking the tablet closed so her sister would not snoop anymore.

"It was good," Ayame leaned back on the couch to stretch, "I was catching up with Hotaru-chan and the 1-A girls. I might go out again depending on their schedule for the next meet-up."

"Oh?" Yume smiled again with slight amusement, "I was hoping you'd still have time for your dear onee-chan this week."

At that, Ayame grew curious by her sister's teasing tone. She sat up straighter and turned to her with a tilt of her head. If Yume was taking the initiative to be playful—then there must be a surprise waiting for her!

"I do! What is it?" Ayame asked excitedly.

Yume's smile turned wider, almost yet not exactly a grin, as she took out a letter behind her. It was addressed to the hero 'LullaCry', one full page of words and documentations that Ayame could not bother to read.

"I'm invited to I-Expo on I-Island for 2 days and…the invitation said I can bring one more person with me," Yume said slowly, deliberately, as she watched Ayame's lilac eyes focused on the letter then—wide on her.

"Me—! Are you—can you—onee-chan!" Ayame was a mess trying to recommend herself to go with Yume, stumbling over her words that could not even be a complete sentence while looking at her older sister admiringly.

Yume laughed at her little sister's enthusiasm and raised one hand to pat the long tan hair. Whenever it came to hero activities, Ayame never failed to be excited about every little prospect.

"I already submitted you as my plus one," Yume confirmed.

Ayame gasped, eyes wide with glee before laughter burst from her lips and tackled her sister onto the couch. Yume laughed when her back hit the couch, carefully setting her tablet aside while Ayame continued to shout words of gratitude.

"We leave the day after tomorrow. Make sure to pack what you need by tomorrow," Yume calmed down to inform. "Also, bring your hero uniform. As a student of U.A., you have the privilege of wearing it beside me."

Ayame nodded her head repeatedly. Although she was unable to return to Yume's agency due to her mishap with the Hero Killer, she could still stand beside her sister again like a hero. With another thanks, Ayame quickly ran back to her room to prepare.

She brought out the rarely used suitcase from the closet and opened it on her bedroom floor. Making a mental list to herself, Ayame began to shift through her closet to see which outfit to bring. Although she would be wearing her hero outfit for the majority of the day, Ayame still wanted to explore the night life of I-Island.

I-Island…an artificial moving island made for the purpose of thousands of scientists to study Quirks in safety. The island would never linger in one place for long, keeping their location a secret from those who wished to infiltrate it. It was an honor for LullaCry to even obtain the opportunity to be invited on the island. And the best of all—Yume had invited Ayame.

The brunette giggled to herself in a giddy manner. She could not wait to go! Although the creation of support items and the technological advances behind it was something too complex for Ayame to even comprehend, she enjoyed seeing the works in action by heroes.

As she packed most of the things she needed, Ayame realized there were still a few things she needed to buy. Extra toothbrush and toothpaste, for example, sunscreen, and other hygienic supplies were something she was running low. Deciding to go to the store tomorrow for a purchase, Ayame finished up and plop down on her bed with her phone.

It was then she realized there was one unread message on her notifications. It was sent around half an hour ago, the sender was none other than Todoroki Shoto…asking if she had arrived home safe.

Ayame stilled, silently reading the short message a few more times without a reply. The conversation from dinner floated in her mind again as the girls teased each other regarding their romantic life. Ayame stood by what she had said back then. Shoto and she were just friends. If someone else was in his place instead—if it was someone else that had the same route as her to school, then Ayame firmly believed she would act the same way.

It was merely a coincidence that all of their meetings so far were accidental. Ayame had picked a different agency from Endeavor and still end up meeting the Flame Hero. Ayame had gone to and from school at her own pace but—it was Shoto who waited—no, he merely met up with her at the same time. If anyone else had the same route as her, Ayame would gladly welcome them.

So, no, Ayame refused to let her thoughts ponder and imagination to run wild. She was intent on proving to the rest of the 1-A students that she was merely friends with the stoic boy. There was nothing else to it.

* * *

' _Yup! Home now!'_

He glanced at the message blinking from the phone, forty minutes after it was sent. Shoto set aside the book he was previously reading to replace it with the smartphone, unlocking the device to see the message from his upperclassman.

Although the preview had already notified him of the contents, Shoto still leaned back to observe the simple message. It was late already; Shoto had sent that message when he arrived home before considering his upperclassman. He wondered if Ayame really had arrived home just now or she had seen the message late.

He leaned on his hand, the coolness from it matching the same as his cheek. Yet, he paid no mind to his Quirks as he waited, and waited. But there was no follow-up message or reply. It was short, simple, and—as Shoto continued to read it for the fifth time, it was _unlike_ Ayame to not say more than three words.

Thinking back, she had been acting odd today. He was the one to approach her during the pool, wondering about her healed injury and was inwardly relieved she was. But then, she turned around without anything, leaving him to stare at her back in bemusement.

Shoto had waved it from mind then. He believed she was there to play whereas he was invited to train. Nothing else had happened and before they knew it, Aizawa was kicking them out of the pool. He figured since he had time, he was going to walk Ayame home again. Midoriya and Iida saw him waiting behind and waited with him, speaking about the competition though Shoto only offered a few words in return.

And then, Ayame had rejected his refusal due to the spontaneous dinner plan with the girls and Shoto accepted it without question. The only odd thing was that…Ayame avoided looking at him the whole time. Or, even if she did, it had been brief and fleeting—as if she would rather look at the stone wall to the side as if it were made of diamonds.

 _Is she…avoiding me?_

That thought had popped in his mind and left him wondering throughout his whole dinner. Even though Kaminari and Mineta were rowdy, Iida reprimanding them every fifteen minutes, and Midoriya's nervous yet amused laughter, it still did not distract Shoto completely from his thoughts regarding the brunette.

 _Did I do something?_

Their last interaction was two days prior during their meeting with his mother. Afterwards, Ayame had appeared the same as always.

Even though Shoto replayed the conversation within his mind, he cannot find anything out of the sort with it. He thought they had finally reached a level where playful teasing and light touches were permitted. Although he was normally not the type to initiate any of those, Shoto was certain that he was only helping her because she had helped him plenty before.

A soft sigh left his lips, his right hand reached up to rub the temple of his forehead from the minor headache beginning to form. He never once cared for relationships like this. But, many things had changed since Midoriya had knocked some sense into him, literally, as Ayame would put it. Trying to maintain a decent friendship with his upperclassman was harder than he thought. It had been easy with his own classmates but…

"Shoto."

A knock and a firmed voice came from the other side of the sliding door. He schooled his face back into a nonchalant expression, watching as the door quietly slid open to reveal his father on the other side. Although Shoto was not glaring at him as he once use to, he did not appreciate Enji entering without his consent.

"What do you want?" Shoto stated rather than questioned.

Enji took a step in, a quick glance sweeping over the simple yet barren room of his youngest son, before returning his turquoise eyes to the boy on the futon. Shoto stood up lazily and waited, wanting him to quickly state his interruption.

"A letter came in the mail for me," Shoto finally took note of the white envelop in his hand, waiting for his father to continue, "It is an invitation to I-Expo on I-Island. Unfortunately, I have a prior conference with another mission and cannot go. I would like you to represent me there."

The letter was handed to him after the explanation. Shoto took it without much change to his expression but was inwardly surprised by the offer. I-Island was a place he had wanted to visit once he was a prestigious hero but…maybe having the Number Two Hero, Endeavor, as his father had some benefits.

But, just barely.

"I'll go," Shoto agreed after glancing at the date on the mail. It was soon and before his training camp. At least, going to I-Expo will kill some time before the training camp. Also, this was a helpful distraction from his previous musing.

"Un," Enji had expected this result. "I've filled out the forms necessary for you to replace me. The invitation will inform you of the private plane used to transport you to the island."

Enji hesitated, the words 'call me if you run into trouble' were on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it down instead. He was in no position to offer that assistance. Enji knew he had not done anything warrant of Shoto's respect but slowly, he had hoped to change. For now, his pride was still too stubborn to cave in first when Shoto was still regarding him with those contempt heterochromia eyes.

"I got it," he dismissed, his tone alluding to the end of the conversation.

The Flame Hero spared another glance to his son before turning away to the door. Without another word, Enji closed the door behind him and left Shoto alone.

Inside, Shoto sat back down again to examine the letter. Going to I-Island will prove to be a fruitful endeavor. As an aspiring hero, he wanted to receive as much experience possible to familiarize himself with the line of hero work.

Plus, the minor vacation may be something he needed to clear his mind.

As if on cue, his eyes wandered back to his phone again, her message still opened on screen. Shoto then scanned over the invitation mail again, seeing the additional line of one other guest may be invited upon acceptance and—

 _Forget it_ , Shoto turned away from his phone and got up to pack, _I'm thinking too much._

* * *

 **A/N:**

Sorry for the delay but here is an update! The plot is kinda moving forward and these two teens are slowly noticing their feelings with each other but…taking a different turn with it. It's gonna be a slooow burn.

I'm going to try to keep the movie chapters relatively short…like 2-3 chapters max since I want to move onto season 3 but…there's still going to be scenes after the movie plot for summer vacation and AHHH I HAVE A LOT I WANNA CRAM TOGETHER. Hopefully, it'll still be interesting with Ayame in the mix! Like this, I try to extend the little pool episode for the girls to spend some quality time together.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Please send some support!

P.S. It's my birthday today so yay here's a chapter.


	25. Off to I-Island

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

 _Loud cheering, thunderous clapping, and the clock buzzed at the last second to signal the end of the game. The basketball flew through the air and went through the hoop; the sound of the 'swish' was drowned out by the screams of the crowd by the last-second point gained by the home middle school._

 _Ayame screamed and clapped her hand wildly; lilac eyes wide and focused on the boy being hoisted up by his teammates in the middle. His laughter filled the air and striking green eyes searched the crowd. In a second, his eyes met hers—and lingered, his grin softened into a smile and waved back._

 _Her heart thump rapidly against her chest, the heat rising up even more to her cheeks but her smile was genuine. Ayame ran down from the benchers to meet up with him, excited and thrilled that her crush had won their middle school basketball game for the season._

 _But, as she reached down, dozens of others were already crowding the star player, drowning her in the mass as Ayame struggled to squeeze through. She told herself—even if she was unable to speak with him one-on-one, she wanted him to at least see her as she congratulated him along with dozens of others._

 _A part of Ayame knew she was being foolish. With so many people around him, cheering for him, there was no way he could spot her amongst the others. Even in middle school, Ayame did nothing to stand out against the crowd if not for her relationship to the sidekick, LullaCry. But, she had not spoken of her sister for some time now, hoping no one else would make the mindless comparison whenever they saw her brunette hair and purple eyes._

" _Oi, Sasaki!"_

 _There was something in his voice that commanded presence and attention to him. As soon as he greeted her—that he reached out to her first, the crowd became more bearable and air returned to her lungs as people parted the way for her. Ayame grinned, pride swelling at the recognition, and hopped over to him._

" _Yo! Congratulations, Ishida-kun! You were so amazing out there!" Ayame gushed in excitement._

 _Ishida Yamato, the holder of Ayame's affection, grinned sheepishly and rubbed his short dark locks in return at the girl in front of them. They were the same height, Ayame was known to be tall amongst the girls, but her short tan hair and boisterous attitude often had others teasing her to be one of the boys._

" _Thanks, Sasaki! I'm glad you can make it!" Ishida had smiled but his eyes were searching, although subtle and unnoticeable by the girl in front of him, his eyes had wandered the whole gym in search for brunette hair and violet eyes._

" _Of course! How can I miss your big game!" Ayame was oblivious to his actions and Ishida returned his attention back to her, his smile softening but still just as kind._

" _This was definitely a difficult game but—it was fun," Ishida laughed, joyful yet proud of his accomplishment._

 _Ayame's heart warmed by his laughter, all of her attention was solely focused on him and words of congratulation and affection were on the tip of her tongue. She opened her mouth to say more, the thought of confessing to him right here and now crossed her mind and—_

" _Ishida-kun—I—"_

 _Someone stumbled into Ayame's back, causing a surprised yelp to leave her lips as she staggered forward. A large pair of hands reached out to steady her shoulders, large lilac eyes meeting dazzling green ones as their heads were merely a breath away._

 _Ishida's eyes softened, his head dipping slightly down and Ayame felt herself freeze in anticipation. Part of her screamed to close her eyes yet another part rationed to savor this moment—because he was so close and they were so close and—_

" _I'm sorry, Sasaki…but the one I like is your sister, Yume-san."_

* * *

Lilac eyes slowly opened in a dazed conscious, observing the white ceiling without movement although she could hear shuffling of footsteps on the other side of the house. Ayame closed her eyes again and brought one arm up to cover her eyes from the brightness, feeling the warm summer air and the comfort of her bed slowly lulling her to sleep again.

" _I'm sorry, Sasaki…but the one I lik—"_

 _Well, time to wake up._

* * *

It does not happen often but Ayame does dream of him. It was odd; she had not that dream in over half a year's time but…it must have been the conversation from yesterday to trigger something within her subconscious for that memory. Funny; that ending was not the same day she had confessed but—dreams and memories tend to overlap each other, rewriting what had happened and what did not.

Ayame resisted the frown and lightly brushed the tan fringes away from her face. Although she was reading the labels intently on the travel-sized lotion, none of the words were absorbed into her mind. Having that dream about her old crush had definitely unlocked a few buried emotions. She threw the lotion into her basket and turned to walk away.

"Oh—excuse me," Ayame apologized, nearly running into a tall man and only managed to sidestep at the last second.

"I-it's alright."

She blinked, lilac eyes looking up to see the tall, skinny blonde teacher from U.A. Recognition flashed by both pairs of vibrant eyes before the girl took another step back to bow politely.

"Oh, sensei! Fancy running into you here!" Ayame straightened up with a smile towards the blonde.

"How do you do?" Toshinari smiled goodheartedly, taking in the tan hair wound up into a ponytail and washed out All Might tee. An amused smile made its way onto his face as he realized the shirt was probably from years ago, still showing off his old design with a cape.

"I'm good! Just shopping for an upcoming trip!" Ayame answered. Curiously, she quietly glanced around the tall blonde but does not see the familiar moss haired boy. Usually, when she sees this teacher, Midoriya would be close behind.

"A trip?" Toshinari mumbled to himself, feeling this all too coincidental as he was also shopping for an upcoming trip.

"Yeah! To I-Island!" Ayame turned her attention back to the tall teacher, smiling widely and missed the flash of surprise in his vibrant blue eyes, "I'll be attending I-Expo with my sister, LullaCry! I wonder if All Might will be there?!"

Ayame had asked half anticipating the teacher's confirmation. After all, All Might does work in U.A. High School but she rarely seen him like her underclassman does. Plus, maybe another school facility teacher would know! Aizawa would not be the type to indulge Ayame with her curiosity regarding the Number One hero, calling her a stalker once and promptly ignored her.

Toshinari resisted the urge to step back by her excited gaze. This girl reminded him of Young Midoriya but, she was more expressive and straightforward with her thoughts. It was always fun meeting a fan and—even more when she does not know of his identity.

"I-I believe he accepted an invitation, too," Toshinari divulged that little information with a smile, watching the way Ayame pumped a fist in midair in unrestrained happiness. He chuckled softly, bringing one hand up subtly to push down the pain from his lungs. "You really like All Might, don't you?"

"Of course! Who doesn't?!" Ayame replied automatically. "He's the strongest hero—ever!"

Ayame rambled on, lost in her worshipping of All Might and oblivious to the teacher's amused smile. They may have met only a handful of times, Ayame seeing him in his true form more than his hero, but the girl was always the same. She has a strong sense of justice and duty, always trying to protect her kouhais and prove her worth.

"I think you might be getting up there yourself," Toshinari mused, breaking the brunette mid-ramble, "Your strong impression of him during the Sports Festival could almost rival his own powers."

What he had said was not an exaggeration. After his closing ceremony for the first-years, Toshinari had noticed all of the 1-A students run off to the second-year's stage. Even Aizawa had left to find his family and out of curiosity, Toshinari changed out of uniform and followed.

Watching the second-year battle was as interesting as the first. Toshinari can see why the Takarada and Shimizu heir were popular amongst the students. But, the surprising factor of the second-year weren't the reputable 'princes' as the school had dubbed them but rather—the underdog of the year emerging victorious in the end. The giant summon of All Might had surprised everyone, granting her a win in the grand finals against the large-scale gems attack that looked ready to pierce through the stadium.

At that time, Ayame was oblivious to all the wandering eyes and ran to her fallen opponent. She had no statement regarding the summon and had not revealed such power again. It left others wondering if her victory was truly a fluke or not.

But, it wasn't. A true hero could sense the overwhelming power from that ghostly figure, matching All Might at his prime with a punch that he perfected over many years. She had potential, Toshinari knew. It was just a matter of utilizing that potential. If Toshinari was a more suitable teacher, he would have loved to teach her. Unfortunately, his hands were already full with his successor, Midoriya Izuku.

"E-ehe, you're just saying that!" Ayame's flustered yet proud voice broke through his thoughts, "I still have a long way to go before I get to All Might's level but—one day—if I can fight alongside him—then that's all I can ever ask for!"

Toshinari's smile softened, unable to confirm what she had hoped for yet also could not disregard her. Ayame had said the same thing before; she had really wanted to work alongside the hero. But sometimes, he knew he could not make everyone's wish come true.

"Work hard, Sasaki Ayame-shounen," Toshinari said softly.

Ayame grinned and nodded her head, giving a verbal 'un' as the blonde gave her a brief pat on the shoulder before walking away. Ayame continued to shop and finished purchasing her items so she can head home. But, as she replayed that conversation in her mind, a small question had lingered at the end of their parting.

 _When did I tell him my name?_

* * *

Ayame and Yume had prepared for their trip and said farewell to their family. Hiroshi promised to take more time off work to watch over Shiko and Suzume despite their mother's protests. The two elder sisters promised to return with presents for Suzume, earning a smile from the reclosed child and approval from their parents before they began to head off.

There was a private plane scheduled for them on the other side of town. Yume was not wearing her hero uniform, a rare occurrence considering how often Ayame seen her sister in the ballet hero outfit than regular clothes. Ayame had donned her U.A. school uniform, presenting that she will be accompanying Yume as a guest and U.A. student as per the documentation.

Ayame stretched, a soft yawn leaving her lips as she adjusted her earbuds. The car ride to the other side of Tokyo took over an hour. Even after that, they have to sit for another few hours on the plane to I-Island. Ayame had already prepared herself with music and a gaming console to waste the time away during the trip. Meanwhile, Yume was _still_ working on her tablet.

"This way, please," a man in a black flight attendant uniform directed to the sisters, motioning to a smaller plane off to the side. He confirmed with Yume regarding the flight paperwork and identity before security allowed them on.

Ayame adjusted her little backpack as she followed Yume to their seats. She looked down to adjust to her music, one earbud off to listen to Yume and was only half-focusing on the plane around her. There were less people than she expected, so it was quite spacious in the plane. Plus, since this plane was for heroes invited to I-Island, sections of the flight were divided so each would have their own privacy.

"Oh."

Ayame blinked, lilac eyes looking up as to why Yume suddenly stopped and even said something. She followed what held her sister's gaze to the front and immediately froze, her phone nearly dropping from her hand as she gaped at the boy sitting next to the window seat.

Shoto had one hand propped on his chin as he stared out the window, one earbud stuffed in his ear as he waited for the plane to ascend. Dressed in the standard U.A. uniform as well yet not accompanied by anyone, Ayame was in a daze as the question of 'why is he here' rang through her mind.

When he noticed the soft gasp and two figures not walking past him, his mismatched eyes shifted over to see the pair of sisters. The hand under his chin twitched, eyes opening a millimeter in surprise as Shoto focused on the younger of the two sisters. Ayame looked more surprised than he was, mouth still parted in silent disbelief and a part of him wondered—did she not want to see him?

"Todoroki-san," Yume stepped in to greet once she realized the odd mood between the two teens, smiling at the boy in question as she put her bags on the cabinets above her. "What a surprise."

Shoto finally moved his eyes away from Ayame to regard Yume with a small nod. Briskly, Ayame put her bag away as per her sister, mentally screaming at herself to calm down from this unexpected surprise.

"Hello," Shoto greeted calmly, slowly, as he hesitated one more second before his eyes turned back to his upperclassman, "Senpai."

Ayame barely resisted the urge to flinch by his quiet tone, closing the cabinet closed and sat down on the aisle seat since Yume stole their window seat away from her when Ayame had clearly stated she wanted that an hour ago in the car ride! Although they were not close to each other as this compartment was pretty spacious, Ayame still felt flustered by the intensity of his eyes just a few feet away.

 _W-well! At least he's wearing clothes this time!_

Ayame immediately froze in horror, nearly slapping herself by that spontaneous thought and the image of the bare-chest Shoto popped up in her mind from their pool day. Her face flushed a crimson red and would have run away to the bathroom if not for the pilot announcing over the intercom that the plane would begin its flight in five minutes.

 _What is wrong with me?!_

She mentally screamed again, purging the thought of the half-naked boy away from her mind. Yume gave an inquiring look, one fine eyebrow arched upward in amusement though sating Yume's curiosity was the last thing on Ayame's mind. She cleared her throat and prayed her voice won't betray her when she turned to Shoto again, hoping she looked as calm as he did.

"Hey—! I didn't know—you are going to I-Expo, too?" Ayame may have not stuttered but the weird change of octaves in her voice alluded to her unease.

Shoto quietly moved his gaze away, wondering if he was the reason for her odd reaction and nodded his head.

"My old man couldn't make it, so I took his place," Shoto explained briefly.

"Oh—my sister, too. I meant—she's invited—obviously since she's right here—but I mean I came with her—because the invitation permitted it—so uh, yeah, here I am!"

Yume forced back a laugh next to Ayame, putting one hand up to her mouth to spare her sister the embarrassment. Quietly, she wondered to herself, what had happened between these two since she last saw them? Yume had been the one to suggest Shoto to take Ayame to the hospital and since then, she was clueless to anything that had transpired between them.

"Ah…" Although he did not want to cause her more anxiety, Shoto could not help but turn to her again. Seeing the crimson tinting her cheeks at her poor explanation was amusing though his face revealed no such thing. "I guess…we'll be seeing each other around."

"Um—yeah," Ayame calmed herself down to answer, feeling the slight shift of tone in his voice. It was calm as always, soft yet low that held something within which Ayame could not decipher. It felt…distant, or aloof?

She was not completely sure and yet felt discouraged for reasons unknown to her. She looked down, lilac eyes reading the song titles and artists on her phone yet could not pay attention to the upbeat song through the earbud of her right ear. With a frustrated frown at herself, Ayame put the left earbud back into her ear, turned the volume up, and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Annoying."

Noeru stared out the window, his arms crossed and expression emotionless but Yuu caught onto the tight grip he had over his arm. An amused smile crossed his pale lips as icy eyes turned to the door across from them, unable to block the whole conversation away and only caught onto the familiar voices.

"I guess we'll be running into Ayame," Yuu hummed to himself, though he knew Noeru was paying attention.

"Hm."

It was no concern to Noeru what his classmates did. Since he was invited to the island on behalf of the Takarada investments along with the Shimizu corporation, Noeru planned on learning more about the tech behind the heroes on this trip. However, he had least expected his classmate would be attending as well despite Ayame having more of a reason to.

Noeru frowned as he usually does when the mention of the brunette was involved but he was unsure if his own foul mood was due to the classmate in the section next to him—or the boy she was with.

* * *

Ayame jolted awake.

The lingering effects of drowsiness left her as her wide eyes took a quick glance around, remembering the last she was awake was within the airplane ready to transport them to I-Island. She looked down onto her lap, taking the phone off to change the music to something upbeat again.

 _It was just a dream_ , Ayame reassured herself quietly, clenching her fists and refused to look at her sister from one side while oblivious to the silent gaze on the other side.

While the dream had been another distorted memory, mixing her sister and old crush together—changing to anonymous faces ridiculing her powers and Quirk, the last she remembered were a pair of mismatched eyes regarding her with contempt and disgust.

Ayame raised one hand to her temple; a soft sigh left her lips before brushing her fringes back and calmed down. The pilot announced their descent soon, stirring Yume awake from her peaceful slumber to glance out the window.

"Look, you can see the island," Yume lightly patted Ayame's arm, pausing for one second to turn to her little sister at the coldness of her skin. "You're cold—are you okay?"

Ayame smiled in reassurance, nodding her head and leaning over to glance out the window. No matter how different the Yume in her dream and the real one was, Ayame knew her sister always prioritized their family over herself.

"Just a bad dream. I'm okay," Ayame said carelessly before excitement filled her voice; whether it was forced or not, they did not know. "Wow! Look at that! It's literally—a moving island! Yume-neechan, have you been to I-Island before?"

Yume gave her one more glance over before shaking her head, smiling again in her gentle manner as she returned to watch the island approaching closer than ever, their descent beginning.

"No, never. I rarely travel outside Tokyo for my missions and—even if I did, you would be the first to know where I'm headed considering how often you ask," Yume teased.

Ayame stuck out her tongue though she did not deny Yume's tease. She had pestered Yume before regarding her mission and her sister usually never gave her full explanations. This time, Ayame was just happy she was taken along—and to I-Island no less!

In a few more minutes, the plane descended and landed on a busy airport. The pilot gave a few other instructions to the passengers and they began to gather their bags. Yume read through the papers for their hotel accommodation along with the map, already making plans to settle down first while Ayame put her earbuds away.

At that time, she saw Shoto gathering his bags of belongings as well. She knew she probably had been a little odd to him lately and if Ayame wanted to prove to the others that they were friends—avoiding him was the worst thing she could do.

"S-Shoto-kun!"

He looked up, glancing at the brunette looking at anywhere besides him and spoke louder than usual considering they were still inside the airplane. Ayame straightened up and forced herself to look at him without blushing, offering a small smile to the boy.

"Where are you headed now? I think we're going to the hotel first—are you also in the same one as us?"

Shoto glanced down at the paper in his hand. Enji barely briefed him of what he was supposed to do once on the island but the papers given to him was more than helpful. Since they had taken the same plane to the island together, there was a chance their sponsors also booked the same hotel for the guests.

"The hotel," Shoto answered, "The Amanemu."

"What a coincidence," Yume chimed in with a smile, "Us, too. Shall we go together?"

Shoto blinked at the sudden invitation while Ayame stared at her sister, hard. What was she doing again?! Not that Ayame did not want him to go but—a warning would have been nice! He hesitated to answer, his eyes turning back to Ayame and she realized she must have looked weird again.

"Yeah, come join us," Ayame added, "You came here alone, right?"

She held his gaze this time, not once wavering and Shoto decided it may not be too bad to join the sisters when Ayame was trying to include him. With a small nod, Ayame smiled brighter by his approval and followed Yume they exited the plane.

Whether it was purposeful or not, Yume was leading the charge as she guided them through the security checks to leave the airport and left Ayame and Shoto to walk side by side. It wasn't long until they left, exiting the airport exit doors and towards the entrance of the island. The buildings nearby looked like a huge amusement park and off in the distance, they saw buildings resembling a city in the center.

"Wow!" Ayame gasped in astonishment, admiring the view and hopped forward. "C'mon! Let's set our stuff in the hotel and go!"

Yume chuckled softly by her amusement and nodded her head. When they arrived, it was barely afternoon, giving them plenty of time to explore and prepare for the event at night. Yume had her own schedule to go through as she was invited as a hero but, she could give some leeway time for her younger sister.

It did not take long for them to hail a taxi and have it drive the three of them to the hotel in the heart of the city. Ayame nearly pressed her cheek against the glass to look at the passing buildings, similar to the modern society of Tokyo but with a mix of a theme park added in. Yume sat in the passenger while chatting casually with the driver, smiling when the driver recognized her as the famed 'LullaCry' outside of her uniform, and was thrilled to receive an autograph after.

When they did get inside the hotel, Yume took care of checking in while Shoto checked in on his own. Ayame quietly observed the lobby, thinking to herself that it was another high-class hotel based on the expensive decorum.

Yume and Shoto returned back to her when she was lost in thought about one thing or another. Yume gave a quick glance to the boy, smiling as she tilted her head towards the elevators.

"We should check out our rooms first," Yume said, "Ayame, you can go explore afterwards. There's still some work I have to take care of."

"But you're always working!" Ayame blurted out in disbelief.

Although Ayame had fallen asleep first on the plane ride, she knew Yume must have worked a bit on her tablet during the flight. For a hero with the power to put others to sleep, Yume rarely does that herself. It sometimes reminded her of their mother. There were more nights Shiko had to climb out of bed to face a villain than she had to put young Ayame to sleep.

"It's just some preparations for tonight," Yume smiled, "Besides, you can walk around with Todoroki-san instead. You won't be alone."

Ayame froze and Shoto looked up by the sound of his name. Was this what she was planning again? Yume was becoming less and less subtle with her plans. Shoto quietly studied the older woman but Yume kept the polite smile on her lips that would not accept any refusals.

"I—"

Ayame stopped herself, not finding any excuse for protest or—why she would want to. There was not any reason for her to avoid him and Ayame could not understand why she always felt flustered around him. She glanced at Shoto hesitantly, waiting to see if he had any input but he looked calm as always, proving to be difficult to understand his thoughts.

"It's only if you want," Shoto finally said, giving a casual shrug to her as the elevator stopped at their floor.

Yume stepped out first, glancing at the two once before walking ahead after a smile in parting. Ayame took a step after her, pausing at the doorway to turn to see his aloof expression again. While he had said it offhandedly, Shoto was the one giving her a choice to accept or not. And—seeing his expression like so—normal and uncaring, Ayame realized any answer she may give would not change his mood.

"I'll—" she bit the inside of her cheek before smiling again, "See you in a bit."

Ayame took the invitation straight on, mentally scolding herself for overthinking again. This was becoming a bad habit whenever it involved the half-and-half boy. Since they came to the island together then—they should also enjoy it together.

"Un," Shoto said quietly, his shoulders relaxed just the slightest by her acceptance, unnoticed by the girl.

Around the corner, Yume glanced back again to look at them.

"Don't forget, you can wear your hero uniform and use your Quirks at parts of the city here. Have fun!"

Ayame quickly caught up with her sister and waved to Shoto. The elevator closed again and slowly ascended to bring him to the next floor. Once alone, a small sigh left his lips as he recalled those startled lilac eyes, expressing complicated emotions Shoto was not used to seeing, not knowing if it was a good sign or not.

* * *

"Did something happen between you and Todoroki-san?"

The door slammed closed behind them, not intentionally, but Ayame jumped by the sudden noise and question. She turned to her sister in shock, wide lilac eyes meeting calm violet's inquiring gaze. Ayame clamped up and shook her head, setting the suitcases aside so she can pull out her hero uniform.

"N-no! Of course not!"

Yume arched an eyebrow. Her sister was a terrible liar.

"Are you sure?" Yume asked again.

"Wha—how can I not be?" Ayame asked back. Why were they even talking about him in the first place?

"Just a speculation," Yume shrugged. She walked over to Ayame with a smile, patting her sister on the shoulder despite them being the same height. "He's a good kid. Go easy on him."

"'Go easy on him', how?" True confusion appeared on Ayame's face as she looked at Yume with furrowed brows. What did she mean by that?

"Well, if he's interested in you," Yume stated as if it were the most obvious thing.

Ayame immediately jumped back in alarm, eyes wide and mouth parted in disbelief but her brain cannot work faster than her mouth's stuttering refusal. She wondered why, now, it was her sister who was giving her advice on their relationship—when it was just friendship!

"He—we—it's not—wha— _onee_ - _chan_!"

Yume laughed, not bothering to spare her sister this time as she returned to her suitcase to pull out the ballerina outfit. Her violet eyes were twinkling in amusement by the flush over her sister's face, trying and failing to explain herself.

"A-anyways! It's nothing! A-and if I was ever—interested in anyone—I can't talk to you about it!" Ayame said in a huff, turning around to grab her clothes and ran into the bathroom.

Yume blinked as her sister run away. She also walked towards the bathroom and leaned against the door, watching Ayame spray cold water over her red face.

"Why not?"

Thinking back, Ayame never did confide in Yume regarding her love life. Her classmates and friendships were easy; Ayame loved to share stories from school. She also loved to talk about her latest video games and the plot of it, also sharing manga she had read before to her sister to enjoy when Yume had spare time. The last time Yume could remember Ayame mentioning anything about a boy; it was when she was in middle school, gushing about some basketball player Yume could not remember the name of.

And then, when the middle school year ended, Ayame stopped saying anything regarding him—or other boys.

The only vivid memory that stood out in Yume's thoughts was…when Ayame returned home with tears trailing down her cheeks. Ayame seemed to have not realized she was crying in the first place, eyes wide and dazed and only refocusing when Yume ran up to cup her cheeks together. Then, she bawled—harder than any other times Yume had seen of her sister in years but she refused to say anything, only hiding her red face behind closed fists and unable to hear any comforting words from Yume.

Afterwards, Ayame pretended nothing had happened. She pretended she had not just collapsed on her knees on their living room floor, had not cried a river yet with no explanation to the cause. Ayame locked herself in her room for hours before revealing herself again with swollen eyes and a lone smile, lying about one thing or another that Yume knew was not the real cause of her breakdown.

"Cause it's embarrassing," Ayame answered through the muffled towel, breaking Yume from her reverie about her dear little sister. "Besides! You never tell me about _your_ relationships!"

"Because I have nothing to tell," Yume answered naturally.

"Yeah, right," Ayame rolled her eyes. "You're too much of a workaholic to consider a relationship even when it's thrown into your face. You can't tell me all the flowers and chocolate you bring home from work was just 'obligatory chocolates'! You get those like—once a week! It's not even Valentines!"

"Oh," Yume blinked back at her sister's outburst, not in anger but in disbelief.

She hadn't realized Ayame felt that strongly about her own life. But, Yume was simply not interested in dating right now. She knew that she received fan letters and gifts from civilians often but Yume never assumed it was more than gratitude gifts by them. Her co-workers had mentioned in passing about her oblivious attitude to flirting but Yume only thought the others were just being friendly.

"Wait—don't tell me—you didn't know?" Ayame gasped at the clueless expression on her sister's face. When Yume said nothing and only offered a half-smile, Ayame groaned. "I should lend you the few shoujo mangas I have. Those poor guys!"

"Huh, the others said the same thing before," Yume hummed in contemplation. Especially after when Yume would dismiss someone in favor of catching up on paperwork.

"Then it's settled!" Ayame said happily, pleased to have turned the conversation around. "You should worry about yourself first before thinking about me—which, may I remind you, is _nothing_ at all!" Then, while Yume was distracted, Ayame pushed her sister out of the bathroom. "I need to change now! Go, go!"

Yume blinked as the door closed behind her, turning to the closed bathroom door and shook her head.

Ayame let out a small sigh of relief once alone. Besides the fact of not wanting to discuss her relationship status with her sister, Ayame always felt...inferior compared to Yume. After all, Yume was older, more mature, prettier, and so much more. She doesn't even know if Yume had fallen in love before. Her casual attitude towards the interested party could be considered polite but distant.

Whereas Ayame…

" _I'm sorry, Sasaki…but the one I like is your sis—"_

* * *

Maybe, if Shoto would permit himself to admit it, he took a little longer than usual to change into his hero uniform. A part of him wondered if she would uphold the agreement to wait for him as the handful of times he had waited for her.

Ayame had agreed to tour the city with him, albeit hesitant but agreed nonetheless. She's been acting weird, weirder than normal and for once, he cannot discern _why_. He believed that she would return to normal after a few more days but—no, nothing has changed.

A slight frown was on his lips at that thought, finding his thoughts wandering to her again for the past couple of days. Even with this surprised I-Expo trip, they still, somehow, ended up in each other's presence.

Similar to a pre-destined meeting.

A serendipitous encounter.

Shoto halted in his thoughts.

That was—almost— _romantic_.

At that moment, he looked up to see the object of his focus. Ayame was also changed into her hero uniform, the starry cape shining underneath the hotel lights, dancing off the red skirt and creating the mismatched colors to bounce off each other. The shines were not as obnoxious as Aoyama's, Shoto quietly noted, and it even gave a soft sparkle to her loose tan hair.

Once again, Shoto caught himself wandering of miniscule things, a habit he had not realized he develop around his upperclassman. Ayame did not look as if she noticed him, her back still turned to him as she watched the news talking about I-Expo on the large television. But, since she was here, waiting for him, meant that she had not ran away as a part of him thought she would.

It was ridiculous, he knew, but it still does not help the way his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.

"You're here."

If Ayame had paid attention, she would have realized Shoto had not meant to say that out loud. He was someone guarded with his words, would not speak if it was not analytics or suggestions. For him to state the obvious, as rare as that was, felt to be a blunder on his part.

Ayame turned around at his voice, would have jumped if not composing herself at the last second, and instead, confusion found its way onto her face. Shoto was studying her again, quiet yet firm as his eyes never wavered from her form. She wished she could be as composed as him, not knowing he was not as calm as he appeared.

"Of course," Ayame answered normally, "I agreed, didn't I?"

He tried to shrug off his earlier slip-up yet the curiosity took over the majority half of his brain. The questions he has now could only be answered by her.

"Aren't you avoiding me?" He asked as naturally as he can, eyes lingering on hers and Ayame was the first to look away.

The sudden question took her by surprise, her gaze darting away again because Shoto always seemed to be able to read through her. She had admired his bluntness before but—she had wished he would not use it against her like this.

"I—uh," Ayame glanced at him again, guilt eating up within her because she knew she was being unfair to him.

It was not his fault that she was reminded of the boy she once pined for, where conversations accidentally turned to him by her friends and family whenever the mention of love was involved. It was because they were close, Ayame justified, that people were teasing their friendship.

"…sorry."

Shoto continued to stare on, waiting for Ayame to continue with her quiet whisper. There was a small smile on her lips, lonesome and distant and so different from the ones he was used to seeing that he felt his hands twitch to reach up—to pull at her cheeks so something more genuine would surface.

But he didn't.

"I was reminded of something lately," Ayame confessed with a dismissive laughter, the urge within Shoto continued to grow stronger. "And I guess—I was accidentally taking it out on you. I didn't—mean to avoid you. I just…wanted to clear my head."

It was vague and confusing but Ayame did not want to disclose more than she was willing. Already admitting to avoiding him was nerve-wrecking enough and it wasn't until she spoke of it did Ayame feel the jumpy thumps within her heart that—what if—it would be _his_ turn to avoid her next?

What if—Shoto was the one avoiding her?

She—didn't like that.

"What was it?" Instead, Shoto decided to ask more, wanting her to elaborate because what could have been so bad that she was outright admitting to avoiding him? Was it something he did? What can he do to avoid it in the future?

If Ayame knew his thoughts, she would have possibly cried over his consideration.

"I—" Ayame blushed, her face turning into the familiar pink he had known to associate her with.

This time, she was nervous for a whole another reason because—it was downright _embarrassing_ to tell him what the others had teased her about! What if—he gets the wrong idea? What if—he finds it repulsive that people associated him with her and such?!

"It's—uh," well, it wouldn't be good if she avoided, too! "Just—an old…crush?" Ayame squeaked out. "I mean—it's because the others kept teasing me about one thing or another which was over-exaggerated because we're friends but they assume otherwise! You're also immensely different from Ishida-kun but then again, they never met him anyways—so it doesn't make sense how Kaminari-kun or Sero-kun always teases me about the same thing!"

Ayame ranted, half in embarrassment and the other half in exasperation once she remembered how the past couple days had been. While she does understand why people could misunderstand, seeing as how Shoto was such a quiet boy with attractive features that people could not help but be drawn to, why must they drag _her_ into it?

Shoto blinked, mild surprise evident on his face by the slight opening of his lips. People…were teasing her about their relationship? ' _We're friends'_ ; it was as simple and obvious as how Ayame explained it to be.

Then—why did he feel, almost, disappointed—by that statement?

And—who's Ishida- _kun_?

But, one thing was for certain that—Ayame had avoided him because…she was reminded of her old flame? Because of him? But she was the one that said they were different from each other. Somehow, Shoto does not like being compared to anyone within her mind. Not her class president and definitely not an old crush she obviously still remembers.

"What happened?" Shoto asked, unable to stop himself from wondering, "Between you and…Ishida."

The name felt foreign on his tongue, a sour feeling lingered at the end note. Shoto suppressed the frown threatening to emerge, leaving him a blank façade instead.

For possibly the third time already, Ayame froze by his questioning. His name had accidentally slipped out during her rambling and—speaking about him—for once in over a year, still left a tremor in her heart. She blamed the dream she had earlier regarding him, blame how even now, she was still affected by his rejection.

"Nothing happened," Ayame answered with another smile, one that was too distant, too unfeeling, too— _casual_ that a frown did appear on Shoto's lips. "I wasn't what he wanted so…that was that."

She rubbed the back of her long tan tresses, remembering how she had once done the same motion but with short brown hair after being rejected by the boy Ayame had admired for over a year. Briefly, she felt as if nothing had changed. She had grown out her hair, had focused on gaming media to distract herself, but at the talk of Ishida, Ayame fell back into old familiar habits of dismissing herself about something that had tortured her so.

And, Shoto knew that. He understood, now that Ayame had explained the reason for her distance, he understood the little minuscule actions by her meant she was rejected. They did not date, her confession was a failure, and she still referred to him as an old 'crush' and not 'boyfriend'.

It had both relieved yet annoyed him at the same time.

Crush. Boyfriend.

Who cares what he was then? What matters was—he was not around now to distract her even more.

Shoto sucked in a breath. Those thoughts were too—protective—too staggering of a reaction towards a boy he has never met.

But when he saw the dismissive, self-deprecating attitude from Ayame, he felt like he was not expressive enough.

 _We're friends_ , Shoto reasoned with her words for his unnatural state of thoughts, _friends…protect each other._ He may be new with that concept but, he would be sure to uphold it.

"He is a fool," Shoto reprimanded without thought but as the words left his lips, he believed them to be true.

The urge to pinch her cheek was too strong to hold back, his right hand reached up to the soft skin, and pulled. It was not to hurt, but just hard enough to startle Ayame into staring at him with bulging eyes and a crooked smile. He felt satisfied by that as a small smile slipped up, knowing her attention was fully on him.

"But that doesn't mean you should be one, too, for remembering him. He's not worth the trouble."

 _We're friends_ , Shoto repeated within his mind again, _so, this is fine_.

"S-Sho-to-kun!" Ayame whined, her cheeks reddening again by the one-sided pinch yet her heart was beating too fast to subdue.

He was giving her the comfort she never once asked for. Whereas Ayame dealt with the problem by changing herself and never once confided in someone about it, Shoto was telling her— _Ishida_ was the one wrong. And that—gave her such an overwhelming relief and warmth that she could not contain her eyes from watering and her lips from smiling wider than it possibly can.

Shoto nearly stumbled back in shock when the warmth of her body collided into his, her laughter—clear and twinkling like bells, echoed in his ear while her arms were wrapped behind his neck. He readjusted his hands, lightly—ever so lightly—grasped the small of her back and settled on her waist in an embrace he had not received in a long, long time.

"Thanks," she whispered, her breath lingering by the shell of his ear he could not ignore, "I will…try."

"Un," he hummed just as soft, "You will."

Because even if Ayame does not, Shoto decided he would be the one to remind her. There was no point in remembering a ghost from the past but he understood the difficulty in taking the first step. He may have never loved— _liked_ —someone as Ayame did but he knew how difficult it would be in moving forward.

So he would be there to help her when she cannot. _Because we're friends_ , Shoto thought once again but somewhere, in the depths of his mind, he wondered if that was what he was trying to convince himself.

"Ah, c'mon! Enough about that!" Ayame was the first to pull back, her smile genuine and bright as Shoto remembered. He gently let his hands fall away from her but it wasn't long until she reached out to grasp it again, turning around and marching forward, "We should go check out the island now!"

With her vigor renewed, Ayame proceeded to drag Shoto around. It was as if they never had an awkward fallout, her mistake in the first place, but she relished in the fact that he was willing to forgive. The whole time, he was worried about her—that was why he had asked those questions. Without realizing it, Ayame had felt comfortable enough to tell him the truth of her first heartbreak.

Those once dazzling green eyes were replaced by mesmerizing grey and turquoise ones, calm yet intense when she turned around to glance back. Ayame knew—Shoto was wholeheartedly regarding her with that look, not like the distracted gaze Ishida once looked at her with.

Shoto was right. She should not dwell on someone that had hurt her like so. Not when he never gave her half the attention she gave him. Ishida was a good guy but—he was not the one for her.

And, Ayame wondered, when would she find the one for her, then?

* * *

 _I have decided back then_

 _to be there for you_

 _whenever you regress back to him._

 _I hadn't realized back then_

 _I had already fallen for you._

 _[Entry 7]_

* * *

 **A/N:**

I did want more scenes with Toshinari and Ayame so here is a small one! I didn't plan on dragging on Ayame and Shoto's awkward tension but it would not always be fluff either. They don't realize it but slowly, they are falling for each other.

Yume has her own love interest which is Ume-sensei's younger idol/detective brother but I would not be writing him in the story as it would conflict this already OC-filled AU too much.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! There's finally information regarding Ayame's old crush which is still affecting her now. Would he make a return in the future now that I've given him a name? Well….

Reviews are much loved! I cannot do weekly updates anymore as I am burnt out but I still hope to update every other week!


	26. Competition

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Ayame dragged Shoto around during their exploration. After Shoto had confronted her about her odd behavior, things fell back naturally in place again as they enjoyed each other's company. Finally, it felt like a real summer vacation as they ran around the island, catching glimpses of many heroes and unique Quirks at work.

"Oh—look!" Ayame pointed towards all the shops around, entering a shopping center of some sort at the island.

So far, they had seen the amusement park attractions, museums, and even the academy. Although they had wandered around mostly and browsed through the stores, both were more focused on the places Yume had mentioned of freely using their Quirks. But for now, there was no rush for them as they wandered the city.

"I promised Suzume to bring back a souvenir. Let's look for one together!" Ayame suggested, half expecting Shoto to find one for his mother.

"You care for your sister a lot," more than once now, Ayame had thought of her sisters first before herself. Shoto had always noticed it but never spoke of it until now.

"Due to Suzume's…situation, she does not leave the house often. I do what I can to bring back some fun for her," Ayame said as she browsed through the windows of the shops.

Last time, she purchased a stuffed bunny for her so this time; she should try to find some toy. They entered a toy store made to attract tourists, dozens of colorful toys and dolls were put on display. Ayame's eyes lit up as she hopped over to the clothes stand and got an All Might suit, fake muscles included.

"This is so cute—I wonder if there's an adult version?!" Ayame gasped, holding the bodysuit half her size to her body.

A cough sounded behind her and she turned to see Shoto with one hand raised to his mouth. Ayame blinked, looking between him—then herself—and immediately reddened by her childish behavior. She was here to look for gifts for Suzume and yet—she ran off as soon as she saw something All Might related!

"Hey! Are you laughing at me?!" Ayame asked, her blush deepened once she realized he—was!

"No, I wouldn't dare," he answered while lowering his hand but—it was obvious the smile was still there!

"Sarcasm isn't a good look for you," Ayame harrumphed with a small pout, putting the costume aside and turned around to search for more toys.

Another easy smile slipped onto Shoto's lips as he followed behind, knowing she was not seriously upset with him. It was simply too easy to rile her up. Ayame was also the one to present that opportunity every time. In a way, Shoto can understand why his classmates enjoy teasing her. But, that does not warrant them to bring up her previous love life that was still haunting her.

And just like that, the smile was replaced by the blank look once more.

"Speaking of which," Ayame began as she turned to him with a smile, her previous 'anger' gone, "I heard All Might was invited, too! We haven't run into him yet but—I hope I get to see him this time."

"Oh," Shoto blinked. While it was not a surprise to hear the Number One Hero to be here, as his father was also invited, Shoto was more composed than Ayame. After all, he had met up with the strongest hero multiple times already since he was teaching their class and, Shoto was normally not the type to fawn over the hero despite his childhood admiration.

"I wonder if Yume-nee will see him," Ayame hummed, tapping a finger to her chin in contemplation while returning to browse through the toys. "She did mention a hero party in the evening."

"Will you be going to the party?" Shoto asked, bringing lilac eyes to glance at him once.

"Only if All Might will be there!" Ayame laughed, shrugging in the end while picking up a box of 3D puzzle pieces of the island. "Well, I'm not sure. I didn't technically pack a formal wear and I'm sure Yume-nee will be busy with other heroes and civilians."

"I'll be going," Shoto said, maybe a little too quickly for his taste but he covered it by continuing, "To represent my old man."

"Oh," Ayame blinked, finding that to be reasonable and nodded her head. "If you're going then I might as well! It would be boring going alone!"

Slightly, Shoto's lips curled upwards.

In the end, Ayame purchased the little puzzle for Suzume, thinking that it would be a cute gift since the main buildings were also included in the makeshift puzzle. Shoto did not find anything of interest yet, mainly accompanying Ayame and talking about one thing or another.

They left the shopping center when they heard a loud explosion nearby, both tensing in alert but none of the civilians looked bothered. It was as if they expected this result as Shoto and Ayame overheard their conversations.

"They must be at it again with the battle simulations."

"What's the record this month?"

"21 seconds!"

"Battle simulation?" Ayame mumbled to herself in curiosity. "Oh—oh! We should go check it out, Shoto-kun!"

"Yeah," even his curiosity was piqued with that note. Since I-Island was a place where Quirks can be freely used as long as no harm came to the civilians, he wondered what type of battle simulations would be here. As they were aspiring heroes, it only made sense for them to prove their worth.

The simulation wasn't far from their location. Already, they can hear the announcer talking enthusiastically about the last challenger. Quickly, Ayame grasped Shoto by the wrist and ran ahead, too excited to care for personal space. He glanced down once, then to Ayame's back, and did not pull away.

"Is this where we can register?" Ayame asked a worker by the entrance to the dome.

"We have quite a bit of challengers today," the worker smiled and nodded her head, "Yes, this is. You can step through the tunnel and await your turn. The rules are simple. You will be timed while defeating all the robotic villains in the area."

"Okay!" Ayame said and Shoto nodded his head. The worker directed them through the tunnel and together, both headed in.

It was not a long walk and as they neared the exit, they heard the announcer reveal the next time of the current challenger.

"This is amazing, too! 16 seconds! Second place!"

"Woah—!" Ayame gasped and hurried her steps a bit, "That already beat this month's record! And it's only the second place? Ah—I really wanna try it now!"

She can barely contain her excitement, hands clenched together into fists while shaking them excitedly. Her mind was already racing with what type of creatures to create in order to secure her a record time and which path to take as the fastest. It was not often for her to use her Quirk!

"Go ahead," Shoto offered, "You can go first."

"Really?" Ayame turned to look at him with wide eyes. Seeing him nod again without a care reassured her into smiling brightly. "Alright!"

"Here comes a new challenger!" The perky brunette announcer motioned towards Ayame. She grinned and cracked her knuckles, eyeing the mountain of robots with ease. "Get set, go!"

As soon as those words left the announcer's lips, Ayame darted forward. Dark wisps of smoke trails emerged and twisted from her body, a hawk spun together as her mount. But, the smoke wasn't done when another creature emerged right under the hawk, a large canine formed to dash along with her.

 _Sixteen seconds_ , Ayame thought to herself, _I have to beat sixteen seconds_.

Ayame soared up high while the ookami took care of the rear. The ghostly summon was vicious, ramming itself into the mechanical bodies and knocking them into the ground of each other. It wasted no time to run forward, leaving a trail of machines behind while chasing after its caster.

She jumped off the hawk once they reached the peak. Her bird summons usually have no attack powers as they were mainly used to transport her but they were large enough to cause a disturbance. At that, the hawk spun around to knock into a robot, pushing it off the cliff and disappearing into wisps once more.

Ayame moved her hand, the trails circling her arm in practiced movements and, glancing down to see five more robots between her and the ookami, she fell.

"No way! Did she just jump off?!"

The dark smoke surrounded Ayame in long familiarity, twisting the threads around each other and began to take shape. A long body appeared around her, a winding tail formed and smacked the nearest robot. The ookami continued its venture up the mountain while Ayame continued to fall down with the serpent, destroying robots as they met in the middle.

Once close enough, the two summons combined together into a large dragon with Ayame sitting on the back as its rider. With a stomp and flap of its wings, the dragon destroyed the two remaining robots, signaling the buzzer to go off as the end.

"Sixteen seconds! Amazing! She's tied for second place!"

"Aw, man!" But Ayame was discontent, the dragon disappearing as she hopped back onto the floor. "I was hoping to beat that!"

"Tch, she was just showing off!"

"You're just mad she almost beat your time!"

Ayame whirled around to the stands, gaping at the sound of familiar voices and saw a group of colorful students.

"You guys!"

"Senpai!"

Midoriya, Iida, Ochako, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Kirishima and Bakugo was in the stands. Next to them was an unfamiliar blonde but she looked nice enough. Quickly, Ayame flew up to them on a medium sized tengu, hopping down next to the usual trio but was smiling at Bakugo's angry expression.

"Hey! I can't believe you guys are here!" Being invited to I-Island was a surprise but she hadn't realized so many of her underclassmen would be here as well. It was definitely a pleasant surprise!

"Un, you too!" Ochako smiled back.

"Your time was on par with Midoriya-kun! I would also like to attempt it!" Iida said in determination.

Ayame turned to the green boy with a gasp. Her competitor was Midoriya?! Then—who was first?!

"We're tied?! Ah, that's amazing, Deku-kun! But dang it—I wanted to be first!" Ayame pouted.

"Tough luck!" Bakugo yelled, "I'll go again and blow you both away!"

"He's upset you guys nearly tied with him by one second," Kirishima snickered while Ayame 'ohh'ed. Somehow, she wasn't surprised Bakugo would be first...but she wanted the better time! She even pushed herself to do multiple summons!

"Ah, well, you're gonna have to wait in line," Ayame turned her attention back onto the stage, a small smile appearing when she saw Shoto kneel down in front of the mountain.

"Wow! Wow! Wow!" The announcer cheered in amazement as a bombardment of ice rushed forward. The sleet of ice covered the front half of the mountain completely; no robots were able to escape the icy prison. "F-fourteen seconds! He jumped to the top!"

Ayame sighed, partially in admiration and disappointment as she leaned over the railing. Shoto stood back up look at the stands, catching his fellow classmates with his upperclassman but there was only one person he was focused on.

"Suppressing your opponent with overwhelming force… That is so like him," Ayame mused to herself.

"Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya gasped in surprise.

"Is he in your class, too?" The blonde next to Yaoyorozu asked.

"Yes!"

"You're all amazing! As expected of future heroes!"

Ayame glanced over, almost forgetting to introduce herself to what appears to be their new friend. She approached her with a smile, mouth opening for introduction but—a sudden explosion set off behind her and nearly burned her long tan hair.

"What the— _Kacchan_!" Ayame hissed.

"Half-and-Half Bastard!" But Bakugo was not paying attention to them any longer when the threat of someone taking his first place was before him. The fiery boy landed on the stage in front of him, waving his fist angrily around as Shoto returned his gaze back to his classmate. "Appearing suddenly try to make everyone think you're amazing, you bastard?!"

"You guys are here, too?" Shoto paused as he looked up again, his eyes narrowed on icy blue hair and the red and blue figure.

Ayame looked dazed as she stopped focusing on her underclassmen and—stared at icy blue eyes smiling at her. What was—Shimizu Yuu—doing here?!

"Oh my, Ayame," Yuu greeted with a smile, too happy and too _knowing_ to see her, "Fancy running into you here."

Behind her, she can hear the others whispering about the Shizimu heir again. Not that she was surprised, Yuu was quite pleasant to look at. Especially now in his hero body suit and dazzling smile that could render most people speechless. Although Ayame was not the type to fawn over others, she was not stupid enough to be oblivious to his charm.

"Yuu—!" Ayame took a step closer to him involuntarily, not close enough to be deemed inappropriate but she was surprised to see him in the first place. "You're—here!"

"So I am," Yuu continued to smile and took another step forward. Ayame startled, nearly want to back up but the tall boy reached a hand out to her hair, bringing a lock in front for her to see parts singed from Bakugo's earlier explosion.

"My hair!"

Ayame's eyes bulged open to see the speck of black and nearly screamed. She worked so hard to grow it out! And now—a part of it was burnt?! Although she does not care for her hair often, it was still a shock to see part of it damaged!

"It's not that bad," Yuu reassured with a small hum.

He studied the tip of the tan tresses and manifested a small water bubble over the hair to prevent it from singeing even more. The burnt hair melted off, leaving a slightly uneven strand to hang with the rest of the hair. Yuu set it back down and, without warning, ran his fingers from the top of her head down to the long locks, brushing the hair together to merge with the rest.

"There we go," Yuu smiled in accomplishment.

Ayame stayed frozen, her face reddening even more and abruptly took a step back. The silky tresses slipped away from his fingers, leaving his hand paused in midair before slowly returning back to his side. Yuu saw her flushed cheeks and felt a smirk emerging, eyes turning sharper for a second.

"Uh—thanks—I," Ayame fumbled, wishing that Yuu would stop breaking into her personal space because she was not good at handling these type of things! But, as she looked up, she saw the teasing look in his eyes and felt herself grow more embarrassed. He was only messing with her!

"I hate to admit it but…I'm starting to believe Kaminari," Jiro whispered to Yaoyorozu behind them, all watching the small intimate moment transpire between their upperclassmen.

Midoriya, Ochako, and Yaoyorozu both blushed from the implications while Kirishima whispered a small 'yeah'. Ayame's eye twitched. Just—what the heck! They were way too invested in her life!

"Ayame, you should watch," but Yuu's voice broke through to her and she turned back to the stadium.

Ayame blinked, not seeing the heterochromia boy or the ash blonde below from the few minutes she was distracted. Instead, someone else with sparkling hair was walking past the announcer and stopped in front of the iced over mountain.

"S-sir? I apologize but we would need some time to reset the challenge," the announcer said a nervous smile, trying not to stare at the Takarada heir.

"Step aside," Noeru cared not for her, crystal eyes staring at the ice mountain. _Fourteen seconds… Tch, I'll finish this in ten._

They watched in silent wonder as Noeru shifted his foot. Then, the ground began to rumble, shaking even the benchers above them as the audience began to talk over each other in excitement. Ayame gripped the railing again, mouth parted open when cracks began to form on the ice and—crystal shards spiked upwards to break through the surface.

"A-amazing! We have so many amazing times today! For the final count—this is—eleven seconds!"

Noeru clicked his tongue, scowling as his Quirk stopped working. He was one second slower than his expected time. Although he had won, it was still under his expectations.

"That—damn it, Takarada!" Ayame pounded on the railing, glaring at her class president, "Of course he had to show us all up at the last second."

"Wow! Is he—part of U.A., too?" Melissa asked quietly towards Midoriya and friends, glancing between the Takarada heir and Yuu.

"Yeah. They are second-years in U.A. Ayame-senpai is our assistant but those two are her class representatives," Midoriya answered.

At that time, Shoto managed to find his way towards the benchers. Bakugo had stopped following to glare down at the destroyed mountain, crystal shards sticking up at every angle with broken ice scattered everywhere. No trace of the robotic villains can be found, his anger growing when the announcer said the stadium will be closed for a bit to clean up the mess.

"That damned disco ball," Bakugo scowled at Noeru.

Shoto approached the group and while a few of them had turned to greet him, Ayame was still in a daze at Noeru. She was glaring, that was obvious, but Noeru had met her gaze without flinching. Instead, his chin tilted upwards in an arrogant manner, a slow smirk playing on his lips in an unspoken challenge. That only riled Ayame up more and she made way to jump over the railing and—towards him.

A hand suddenly stopped her movement, lilac eyes turning towards the heterochromia boy who was grasping her arm. Yuu quietly looked between them, glancing at how Shoto stepped past him in order to get to Ayame. His icy eyes turned to Noeru, an amused smile on his lips at how his best friend had reverted back into glaring at the duo.

"Oh, there you are, Shoto-kun," but Ayame was oblivious to everything as always, smiling at him but made no movement to step down from the railing. "Gimme a second. I have someone to beat up."

"The competition is over," but he did not let go, carefully tugging on her arm for Ayame to get the hint to leave, "We can look for other challenges."

It was an excuse but Shoto needed something to distract her with. Whenever her class president was involved, Ayame would lose her calm and end up fighting with him. It was like Noeru was purposely _instigating_ Ayame.

"I—"

Ayame wanted to refuse, still distracted by the sight of Noeru, but when she turned to look at Shoto again, she hesitated. There was something in his gaze that made her falter. His grip was not painful and Shoto had the usual indifference on but—he stopped her and—that was a first.

"Okay," she agreed, stepping down from the railing as he slowly let her go. The heat from his hand still lingered on her arm but she ignored it in favor of turning back towards Yuu with a smile. "I'll see you around later! I'm going to catch up with them."

Ayame jabbed a thumb in her quiet underclassmen's direction, Yuu's gaze following quietly. While a majority of them had been too shy to greet him besides offering a polite smile, the half-and-half boy was the only one looking at him with a frown. That only made the smile on Yuu's face wider.

"You don't want to explore with us instead?" Yuu asked, almost sad as if he was hurt she did not consider him in the first place, "We've been classmates for over a year and now you don't want to be seen with us."

"Wha—c'mon, Yuu! Cut it out," Ayame nudged him, knowing he was playing with her with his perfectly polite face. If she refused more, it would be like she's bullying him! "We see each other every day. I'll catch up with you after we get home."

Yuu chuckled and was about to tease her more but—the suspicious look from Shoto made him stop. It was not directed at him, however, but seems to be glaring at someone behind him. There could only be one person to cause him such contempt.

"Yuu," Noeru greeted but his eyes were on the brunette next to him, "Sasaki."

"Takarada," Ayame answered evenly.

Their relationship can be described as hot and cold, never too friendly yet it lost the previous hostility. Noeru always looked unsatisfied with Ayame and she would retaliate back in defence so it was a wonder to Yuu how both managed to work together in order to pass their final exams. At that time, Yuu almost believed those two had reached a semblance of acquaintances but—something always seem to hold him back. It was as if...Noeru was riling up Ayame on purpose because he does not know how to express otherwise.

 _Maybe…_ An amused smile was on Yuu's lips as his icy eyes slid over the heterochromia boy's form, _because of him?_

"Instead of going off to I-Island, you should brush up on your skills. Losing to your underclassmen is a disgrace to U.A."

 _Ah, he always know what to say to piss her off_ , Yuu sighed.

Ayame immediately reacted, taking a large step forward and as Yuu had seen this before, she would grab his collar. This scene would play out like clockwork; Noeru purposely angering Ayame and Yuu being the pacifist to hold her back. But this time, before Yuu could even touch the brunette, someone else already took her hand to tug her backwards.

"Don't waste your breath on those unable to change," Shoto said quietly, knowing about Noeru a little too much for his liking. "Let's go, Ayame."

"Alright," Ayame sighed, partially calmed by Shoto yet the other part in weariness. She was just—tired of always arguing with her class pres. "I'll see you guys around. Come find me if you want to hang out."

After sparing them another glance, Ayame waved 'bye' and followed the rest of the 1-A members. Even as they walked away, Shoto had not let her hand go which somehow became a regular occurrence to them. If any of them took notice, they said nothing of it.

* * *

Kirishima had left to find Bakugo shortly after they left the arena. Ayame and Shoto were introduced to Melissa, a new friend of Midoriya who attends the academy on I-Island. They had caught up with each other regarding their reason for being on the island in the first place and had somehow agreed to attend the party at night later.

While Ayame was usually the one to strike up a conversation, she had been oddly quiet thinking about one thing or another. It was to the point of distraction where she hadn't realized that she was still holding onto Shoto's hand and—he was making no move of taking it back.

Midoriya quietly looked at them and as he moved his gaze away, he coincidentally saw Ochako looking at him. He gave a small smile from the sudden look but the brunette immediately flushed and looked elsewhere—accidentally landing on their upperclassman and stoic classmate.

"Oh! Um! Ayame-senpai! Kaminari-kun and Mineta-kun are also on the island! They're currently working at this café part-time!" Ochako said the first thing that popped in her mind, mentally wincing when she remembered all the contributing factors between Ayame and their classmates. If Kaminari and Mineta were there to see her interaction with her class representatives, Ayame would surely not hear the end of it.

As expected, that had snapped Ayame out of her thoughts and nearly groaned. While she was glad the two gossipy boys were currently not around, she might see them later and just—hopefully not with anyone else they might want to tease her with.

"We'll meet up with you later."

But, Ayame did not say anything when Shoto spoke first. His voice brought all of their attention to him because—he rarely spoke in the first place and—he said 'we'. Even Ayame looked confused when she looked at him, feeling warmth on her hand and—lilac eyes nearly bulged open when she saw their hands still laced together.

Instead of letting go, Shoto quietly started leading them away. Ayame almost stumbled while following him, looking between his broad back and then to the other teenagers confused faces. With a helpless smile, Ayame waved behind her.

"See you guys tonight!"

The rest of them stood there for a few seconds, watching the two disappear around the corner and Melissa turned to the moss haired boy in confusion.

"Are those two…" She trailed off, not knowing if she should continue that sentence as they were still strangers in her eyes.

"You know as much as us," Jirou shrugged.

"W-well, it's not our business," Midoriya did what he could to help, giving one last look in their direction before Melissa began to lead them around to the other attractions.

Ayame followed Shoto, partially in confusion and another part not knowing where to go. He had not said much besides the initial leaving but was it just her or—did he seem tense, too?

"Hey—Shoto-kun," Ayame took a step faster, catching up with him so they walked side by side, "Are you—okay?"

He paused, slowing down to glance at her.

"Yeah," he answered naturally, "Are you?"

"Uh, yeah," Ayame blinked. Wasn't he the one to lead them off?

"I thought you wanted some time alone," Shoto explained when he saw her confusion, wondering if he was being too impulsive again. It seemed that was often the case whenever he was around her. "Do you…want to go back?"

Ayame blinked again, silently studying the way he avoided her eyes this time. Again, wasn't he the one being considerate towards her? Why was he the one looking shy now?

An amused smile played on her lips as this was the closest she had come to see Todoroki Shoto _flustered_. He was not blushing as she would nor did he stuttered but—he hesitated and avoided her gaze…something Ayame often does when she herself was feeling shy.

"Mm, you're right," Ayame hummed instead and separated from him, lacing her hands behind her back while walking forward. "I did want to be alone. I should thank you for that."

Ayame turned her head to grin at him, thinking that he seemed to know what she was thinking of very well. Maybe it was because they spent so much time together and shared so many details with each other that Ayame felt comfortable rambling to Shoto knowing he won't judge her for it.

"I think lately I just feel tired arguing with Takarada," Ayame turned to look up at the sky, watching the colors slowly change from bright blue to purple and orange. "Since the Sports Festival, we've been in a weird state. One second we can work together for the finals exam and the next he mocks me like that. It's just…frustrating."

He felt his jaw clenched at the sudden change of topic to _him_ but continued to listen on. He could understand Ayame's frustration; the Takarada heir does have a way of getting under someone's skin, but Ayame often dwells on him even hours after. They had spoken about him before, Shoto remembers clearly, and at that time Ayame had said she did not like him but—has that change?

"You…want to get along with him," Shoto said slowly, as if trying to analyze whatever type of relationship they have.

"Yeah, of course!" Ayame answered without a thought. "We're classmates! I thought—he had given us a chance considering how _helpful_ he had been but I just—don't know?"

Ayame sighed and continued to walk forward, oblivious to Shoto's thoughts behind her. And, he really was thinking quite a bit whenever she was involved with the class rep. Ayame was just a little too _kind_. She had tried to convince him of the same thing before—back during the Sports Festival when he was still cold with others.

But currently, the Takarada heir was more stubborn than him. Shoto does not know of Noeru's reasoning, nor did he care, but he knew _he_ must have contributed to Noeru's difficult attitude based on all the challenging looks they exchanged. And usually, Ayame was the one between them, oblivious as always but even Shoto could not provide a clear answer if she ever asked.

It was as if, _Shoto_ was the reason Noeru was acting out on Ayame—just so she can direct her attention (and anger) at him.

That speculation made him freeze in his steps, mismatched eyes widening at the ridiculous yet plausible guess. Because, if Noeru merely antagonize Ayame just for her attention—then wouldn't that mean he held her in some type of high regard?

But, if that was true, then what was the true purpose? If he wanted to get closer to her—then his method was doing the opposite effect. Rather than getting close, Ayame would retaliate back at every instance.

 _Is it really useless, though?_

Even now, Ayame was focused on the Takarada heir. Although she was not admitting to them being _friends_ , she was still trying to bridge the gap between them.

Just like how she had tried with him.

"Ayame."

She paused and turned around with a blink, tilting her head curiously to Shoto's call while loose strands of tan hair hung over her shoulder. Ayame ignored the initial flutter of her heart by his voice, reasoning to herself that she felt surprised because he rarely said her name.

He slowly caught up to her, watching the setting sun cast a soft glow to her features and felt his hand twitch upwards to touch her. His fingers clenched instead, fighting back the unexpected urge and yet even with her attention on him, Shoto cannot remember why he called out to her in the first place.

He only felt with every step she took forward, Ayame was walking towards Noeru instead. Those two had known each other longer than Shoto had known her. They had a past rivalry and, dare he say, _chemistry_ between them that only reacts around each other.

It annoyed Shoto.

Annoyed and…scared him.

"Yes?" Ayame answered softly, feeling the intensity of his eyes burning in her for reasons unknown. Shoto had called out to her but had not said anymore. He looked lost in thought about something and—a part of her had wondered—he was thinking of her.

But, that was a ridiculous, over imaginative part of her that merely wondered that from the years of manga experience she had read. Ayame can correctly separate real life from the fantasy world where all confessions and love always worked out in the end merely because she knew it would not happen to her.

"I—"

 _All of this is not a coincidence,  
I know it just because,  
Just by my feelings_

Ayame jumped at her ringtone, giving Shoto an apologetic look and reached for her smartphone. The caller ID had informed her it was Yume and she wondered why her sister was calling her now.

"Hi, Yume-nee."

" _Ayame, can you come back to the hotel soon? We have to prepare for the event tonight."_

"Yeah, I know," Ayame glanced at the time on the phone. It was currently 5:46 PM so there was still plenty of time left till the party. "I met up with a few 1-A students so I'll be going with them!"

" _Oh, you did?"_ Yume hummed, _"That's fine. We'll be going to the same place but I need to give you something first."_

Curiosity bubbled within her as Ayame heard that. With a smile, Ayame began to walk forward while waving Shoto along to return to the hotel.

"Okay! I'll be there!"

Ayame hung up the call with Yume and tucked the phone back into her pocket. Realizing that the call had interrupted Shoto, she turned back to him again.

"Sorry—what did you say earlier?"

Shoto paused, not sure if he wanted to continue the earlier discussion, and shook his head. A part of him was relieved that Yume had called because any second longer, he was not sure what would be said. There were too many confusing things running through him and—it all led back to her.

"It was nothing."

He decided it was not the time to ponder that now, merely waving off his earlier musing as overanalyzing something that was not there.

* * *

Ayame and Shoto returned back to the hotel shortly, agreeing to meet up at 6:15 PM so they can go towards Lobby 7 together with the others. There was not much needed to do besides a quick freshen up and a change of clothes.

With that, Ayame returned back to her room and found Yume looking through her luggage. At the sound of Ayame returning, the elder sister straightened up to smile at her.

"Just in time. I need you to change into this."

She startled, catching a maroon colored fabric thrown at her. Ayame barely gave it a glance to know it was a dress but—why was her sister giving it to her?

"Why? I have my own clothes!" Ayame argued.

"A blouse and shorts and does translate to formal wear, Aya," Yume lightly advised.

Ayame flushed in embarrassment. How did she know that was all she packed for formal wear?! It was not like Ayame was planning to go to the party. It was a last second decision by her friends!

"What about you?" Ayame quickly asked, "This is your dress!"

"Oh," Yume smiled brightly, "I'll be attending as a hero, so, my uniform will suffice."

Ayame stared at her sister in disbelief. Why does all of this sound so coincidental? It was as if Yume knew Ayame did not pack anything remotely formal.

"Hurry along now. You still have to meet up with Todoroki-san, don't you?" Yume said with another smile. "I have to doll you up."

She resisted the urge to gape again, nearly retorting back that Yume was not dressed up but held back. Yume did apply makeup, as rare as that was, and it was natural enough to bring out her violet eyes without it being too gaudy. Ayame ignored the casual Todoroki mention and turned around with a huff, heading towards the bathroom.

"I'm only doing this for you, nee-chan! I am attending to represent you, too!"

Ayame can hear Yume laugh behind her as she closed the door, feeling a rush of heat going towards her cheek and saw red on her reflection in the mirror. She shook her head and began to change, taking the red skirt and white blouse off.

While Ayame did not mind wearing a skirt since it was her school uniform, Suzume had been the one to help design the hero outfit for her back in middle school. Ayame did not mind as long as she could choose the colors to be based off All Might but as she grew older, wearing anything more feminine like a _dress_ embarrassed her.

She sighed, shaking those thoughts away and slipped onto the soft fabric. At once, Ayame felt a breeze on her left thigh and back, feeling herself redden again at the amount of exposed skin. Since when did Yume buy this dress, anyways?! She had never seen her sister wear it before! Why was there an 'x' pattern in front of her chest?! It was like the designer purposely drew attention to that area!

"Yume-nee! Don't you have another dress?!"

"Nope!" Yume answered back with enthusiasm, already picturing Ayame's flushed face. She had bought that dress long ago but never had the opportunity to wear it. Who knew it would come in handy now—but for her sister? "Come out!"

Ayame opened the door with a pout, feeling the cool air on her thighs at every step due to the asymmetrical dress. The top portion felt tight as it hugged her curves while the skirt was flowing on one side. If anyone else but Ayame had worn this dress, she would have thought it was beautiful. But because it was her, she only felt embarrassed.

"Aww, you look so cute," Yume cooed, furthering Ayame's embarrassment as she inspected her sister around.

"I feel cold," Ayame pouted, crossing her bare arms and looked around for a jacket. It does not help that her whole back was practically exposed.

"What are you talking about? It's still summer," Yume smiled in amusement. "Here, this goes with the dress."

Yume brought a loose string belt out, wrapping it around Ayame's stomach and have it hung off off her waist. A silver butterfly clasp was attached to keep the whole thing together, giving a small sense of elegance to this simple look.

"Next, you're gonna tell me you have matching shoes, too," Ayame mumbled sarcastically.

"Why, I do!"

Her head snapped back to her sister, wide lilac eyes gawking at Yume foolishly. Yume was already pulling out a pair of maroon short heels for her, similar 'x' design on the foot to complete the look. Ayame groaned, usually not the one to wear heels and the only saving grace was the fact that the shoes were not even 3 centimeters tall.

"Why does it feel like you planned this?" Ayame asked suspiciously.

"Just a coincidence!" Yume chirped.

With another smile, she motioned Ayame to sit on the vanity where a few makeup palettes and brushes were set aside. Ayame already knew the direction Yume wanted to take and with a sigh, she reached for her phone to text Shoto, telling him to go without her as there's a high chance she will be late.

For a quick moment, Ayame wondered what Shoto would be wearing and—if he would say anything about her appearance later.

* * *

Shoto arrived to the scheduled meeting on time and saw Iida already waiting for the others alone. The class president gave an energetic greeting as he smoothed out the royal blue suit he wore. Shoto nodded back in acknowledgement before the two began to wait for others.

Kaminari and Mineta arrived next, both wearing a black vest over a white button up and black pants. Iida greeted the two, lightly reprimanding them for their tardiness despite them being ten minutes late. Currently, none of the girls or Midoriya had arrived yet. Based on what Iida said before, Bakugo and Kirishima were supposed to be here, too, but Shoto doubt the blonde wanted to arrive with them.

As the time ticked on, it was well past the agreed upon time when Midoriya appeared next in a burgundy suit, apologizing for his tardiness. Shoto had not mind waiting, one hand stuffed in his white suit pocket and casually wondering where his upperclassman was. She had given him a brief message to go ahead first but, he hadn't expected her to be half an hour later than expected.

"Sorry I'm late!" The elevator door opened, revealing a brunette in a pink frilly dress apologizing for the delay.

Shoto blinked at Ochako but said nothing when Kaminari and Mineta both gushed over her. Right after, Yaoyorozu and Jirou both appeared in their own dresses, Jirou's more casual than formal. The two boys continued to cheer in the background but Shoto returned to waiting quietly.

"I'm…not used to clothes like this," Jirou said with a slight blush. Even with the black jacket and tights on, she felt exposed in the hot pink dress.

"The clothes make the man, right?" Kaminari gave a thumb up.

"She looks like a female assassin," Mineta whispered to him.

"Shut up." At that, Jirou's earphone jack found its way to them both and scolded them.

"We complimented you!"

"No, you didn't."

The elevator rang again, signaling another stop and the door slowly slid open to reveal the person within. Strands of tan hair was braided on the sides to tie at the back, the remaining loose tan hair hung over her shoulder as Ayame bent down slightly to adjust her shoe, one of her hand was holding onto the wall for balance. Bright, lilac eyes looked up at the door opening, accidentally meeting the mismatched eyes first before scanning over the rest of the group.

"Sorry! I'm here!" Ayame walked out in large strides, the opening of the dress fluttered faintly to reveal a sliver of her pale thigh.

Behind, Shoto can already hear Kaminari and Mineta drooling over their upperclassman, his hand clenching and relaxing within his pocket.

"Senpai!" Kaminari and Mineta cheered and would have run up to her if they weren't a second later.

"Careful," Shoto said quietly, his hand reached up to brush upon her back—and nearly froze at the touch of smooth hair and warm skin. With a quick glance, he realized that Ayame's back was basically bare if not for her hair covering a majority of it.

"Senpai in a dress! Senpai in a _formal_ dress!" Mineta cheered to Kaminari.

"What a beautiful night," Kaminari sighed dreamily, both boys' eyes were darting between all the girls present.

Fortunately for them, Ayame heard nothing of the exchange when she was solely focused on the shiver down her back by Shoto's touch. She had thought she would be fine wearing this dress after Yume had convinced her as long as no one touched her but already—she felt flustered! And—it does not help that the other party was _Shoto_!

She blushed, catching the light scent of soap coming from his white suit, standing a little too close to him than she realized. Unable to look him in the eyes, Ayame caught a glimpse at his maroon colored tie, freezing for another second as she looked down at her dress.

Weren't they the same color?!

Something light and soft touched her shoulder, the warmth spreading to her back and Ayame snapped her head up to look at Shoto in his blue button up. She clutched the white blazer with one hand to prevent it from falling, staring at Shoto with owlish eyes in disbelief at his actions.

"You looked cold," he gave an indifferent excuse.

"Thanks," Ayame said, possibly a little too high-pitched and a little too quickly but she dared not to focus on it.

She gently slipped the smooth fabric on, the warmth from him transferred from the jacket to her as she was careful not to crease the jacket. Although Ayame knew not much regarding suits, she knew it must be expensive based on the fine details and material of the blazer. The Todoroki were not lacking in money; she knew that much at least.

"You dressed up," although his voice was not loud, Ayame heard the statement clearly between them.

She smiled wryly, wondering if the makeup Yume put on her was too much. Her sister had done another natural look after Ayame's insistence, only applying a light eyeshadow and brown eyeliner to bring out the lilac in her eyes, and pinkish gloss to her lips.

"It wasn't by choice," Ayame sighed, "Yume-nee ran off as soon as she was done. If she was going to be late, she should have left without putting makeup on me."

Shoto smiled faintly at the pout on her lips, the gloss bringing more attention to it than normal and he realized he was staring again. It was odd; he normally was not the type to notice another's appearance, but being around Ayame was simply _distracting_.

Ayame was pretty to begin with, a fact she probably does not see herself based on how often she dismissed the stares in public, but the light makeup only enhanced her bright eyes and full lips. Plus, the dress was fitting, maybe a little _too_ well, and Shoto had to tear his gaze away again least she thought he was leering. Which, he was not.

"It looks good," Shoto complimented quietly, because really, that was the truth, and _she_ looks good and—

"O-oh! Thanks—!" Ayame blushed again, mentally berating herself for the slight stutter and hoped he did not notice.

Personally, Ayame thought she looked passable for the formal party. The dress made her look sophisticated, different from the casual clothes she normally wore, and it assented her shapely body. It was embarrassing to have so much revealed skin but Shoto's blazer and his polite compliment helped. And yes, Ayame simply thought he complimented her out of politeness.

"You—look good, too," Ayame added in the end, knowing she was not smooth at returning the gesture but she meant it.

The blue complimented his eyes and the tie had a contrasting shade with his shirt. The white blazer would have softened the colors and brought out his distinctive mismatched eyes and hair but—she was the one wearing it now. Still, Shoto looked formal and—attractive, more so than usual and Ayame had the urge to run her fingers through his hair to style it into a slickback look, wondering if it would be as mature as she imagined.

The smile on her lips strained, realizing those odd thoughts playing in her mind and knew they cannot come to fruition. Ayame looked up, lilac meeting grey and turquoise and realized—she was looking _up_.

"Hey—did you, grow taller?" Ayame blinked, leaning closer to him because weren't they around the same height before? Shoto was a few centimeters taller than her, if she remembered correctly, but right now, she was wearing heels, too! Unless—Ayame shrunk?!

A soft, flowery fragment hit his nose again and he resisted the urge to lean forward, too, still trying to decipher what flower she was using for the light yet not overbearing scent. It almost distracted him from hearing what question she had asked, relying on his memory for clarification. Shoto steeled himself to stay still, watching how she looked at the top of his head and straightened up for comparison.

"Did I?" He asked, not sure himself as he took no notice to these things.

His eyes traveled down, ignoring how he had accidentally passed by the side with her exposed leg just to see the short heels on the bottom of her feet. Although the height was not tall, they were back to their original height difference so he must have grown at least two centimeters.

"I guess I did," Shoto shrugged yet a small itch of pride swelled in him knowing that he was still growing, his happiness appearing in the form of a one-sided curl of his lips.

During their moment of distraction, Melissa had arrived in a blue dress, greeting everyone present for being the last one late. Kaminari and Mineta continued to swoon over her and everyone else was engaged in their own conversation. Iida attempted to reach Kirishima and Bakugo over the phone yet neither boys answered, causing the class rep to scold them unhappily.

Maybe it was luck that no one else took notice of them, the silence between them growing more once they realized how close they were.

"We should go now," Melissa smiled and motioned to the elevators. "The party has already begun!"

Ayame smiled and was about to follow when Shoto shifted besides her, one arm raised and bent at the elbow. She froze, staring at his unwavering appearance as if—it was _natural_ for him to escort her.

"Shall we?" He asked, a little too formal yet just as perfect and Ayame got the ridiculous image in her mind that he was acting out like a prince on a date.

She let out a small laugh, partly because of her overactive imagination again and the other part to distract her from the blush threatening to emerge. Her hand went up to curl around his arm, the coolness of his Quirk seeping through his shirt as she rested her fingers over his firm muscles in familiarity.

With her free hand, Ayame tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at Shoto in appreciation. Even with these unfamiliar shoes, she could walk fine without assistance but maybe she's been getting too comfortable around him to realize she enjoyed the way he was considerate around her and offering his assistance without warrant.

"We shall," Ayame played along.

 _The smile on her lips is pretty_ , Shoto mindlessly thought, _and genuine, just like her._

Right as they prepared themselves for a night of fun, the intercom sparked to sound.

" _This is an announcement by the I-Island security system. We have received a report from the security system that an explosive device was placed in the I-Expo area. I-Island will now be in high alert mode. In addition, most of the main buildings will be sealed off by the security system."_

Everyone froze, their eyes widening more by the electronic voice at the sudden interruption. Machineries began to hum around them and steel walls began to fall from the walls, closing down any windows and doorways and startling all the students within.

Ayame felt the questions blaring through her mind, confusion and panic struck her as she accidentally tightened her hold over Shoto's arm. The announcement had said the bomb was placed in the I-Expo area—where a reception party was being held in honor of the opening. And—people were there—specifically—the one person Ayame knew would be.

 _Yume-nee!_

* * *

 **A/N:**

I drew a few photos of Ayame's outfit and the little date with Shoto! She's actually not that short in the picture oops but that was just for fun lol you can find the images on my Instagram ( **PrivateCardy** ). Also, her ringtone is 'Serendipity' by BTS Jimin...also the cause of the title for this fic aha

If I seem desperate for reviews it is because I am. Every one counts, even if it's just a little comment, I appreciate it and would be motivated to write more!


	27. 200 Floors To Go

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Boku no Hero Academia._

* * *

Yume swirled the champagne flute in her hand slowly, a polite smile on her lips as she greeted fellow heroes and civilians within the party. At a quick glance, she noted her little sister and other U.A. students had not arrived yet but did not let those thoughts linger. Ayame would be fine; she had a small habit of being late so this was usual. What Yume was curious, however, was if a certain half-and-half boy would take notice of her little sister's dolled up features.

A playful smile emerged at that thought as she glanced at the entrance again. Those two were just a little dense. It may take a little bit of Yume's nudging to push them a little closer.

"LullaCry, is it?"

Violet eyes blinked in response, turning towards the direction of the voice and—her hand stiffened around the glass flute. Yume quickly composed herself yet her heart skipped a beat at the person who had called out to her; striking blue eyes and a tight bodysuit of red, white, and blue. _The_ All Might was acknowledging her. Ayame was not the only fan girl in the Sasaki household.

"All Might!" Yume barely controlled her volume, smiling at the Number One Hero with surprise yet happiness. Throughout her years of working as a hero, she had not once met the most famed one yet. "Yes—that's me. I'm flattered that you recognize me."

All Might let out a hearty chuckle, vibrant blue eyes studying the nearly identical features of the young woman in front of him to the assistant upperclassman to his class. The rumors were not kidding when they said the two sisters looked like twins but, he could tell there were distinct features that separated the two. The elder sister had a darker shade of hair and eyes. Yume carried herself with a mature poise and gentle bearing whereas Ayame was more lively and bright. But, All Might can admit them both to be wonderful heroes, each with their own charm and qualities to rise above.

"Well, it wasn't difficult," All Might grinned, "You look just like your _imouto_. Or rather, she looks just like you."

Yume kept the smile on her face. So All Might had met Ayame before. Although not surprising since her sister had mentioned he was teaching class 1-A and she was the assistant there but, there were a few times Yume was not able to catch up with Ayame due to her heroic duties.

"Thank you for looking after Ayame," Yume set down the champagne glass and did a polite bow, surprising All Might to wave at her to straighten up with slight embarrassment. "My sister may seem immature at times but I can assure you she will do her best as a hero—especially around you."

All Might paused, thinking that this was the second time someone had vouched for Ayame and her admiration for him, and felt another chuckle to escape his lips. _That girl is well loved_ , All Might realized.

"I don't doubt it," All Might gave a thumb up in response.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to I-Expo's reception party. Let's have the Number One Hero, All Might, who is visiting us today, say a few words and lead us in a toast! Everyone, please give him a round of applause!"

Both heroes stopped their conversation at the announcement. All Might looked flustered by the sudden attention and Yume joined the rest of the applause, smiling at the hero before glancing at the door again.

 _Aya should arrive soon if she wants to see her hero._

"Dave, I didn't know about this," All Might said nervously, not for one to make a speech spontaneously and especially with his current condition.

"This was bound to happen once they found out All Might would be here," David reasoned helplessly.

With a sigh, All Might headed up onstage with his trademark smile. Everyone's attention was on the superhero as he stood in front of the large 'I-EXPO' screen, albeit nervous yet just as professional.

"Thank you for inviting me. I am All Might. I don't like formal talk, so—"

His speech was cut off when the screen behind him changed into an alarming red, flashing the words 'EMERGENCY' and murmurs began to arise within.

" _This is an announcement by the I-Island security system. We have received a report from the security system that an explosive device was placed in the I-Expo area. I-Island will now be in high alert mode. In addition, most of the main buildings will be sealed off by the security system."_

The door opened to reveal several mask figures walking in with heavy guns, aiming towards the civilians and heroes within the party. The leader of the group emerged in a white jacket and dark red hair, sharp eyes gleaming behind the steel mask as he strolled forward.

"It is as you heard. We have taken over the security system. Don't think you're going to put up a fight. If you do…then the security machines will bare their fangs at all the good people on this island." The masked villain said.

The television screen showed live videos of the security drones stationed by the civilians all around the island. Yume tensed, her feet steadily inched forward as she tried to get a better look at how many threats there were. She could only put one to sleep at a time with a split second interval between each time. If she could at least get the one in charge asleep first, the other heroes within may help to subdue the lackeys.

"All the people on this island are hostages. Of course, you all are, as well." Wolfram smirked and pressed the communication device in his ear, "Do it."

Bright, blue tape shot out of the ground below them. Yume's eyes widen as the tape went straight up and—wrapped around her head, shielding her eyes from view first before the rest of the binding looped around her figure.

 _I'm—trapped?!_

* * *

"My phone has no signal. It looks like all reports are being blocked," Shoto frowned, putting the phone back into his pocket yet—his attention was drawn to his upperclassman.

Ayame was off to the side pacing back and forth, her fingers tapping on her own phone repeatedly yet no calls or texts were able to get through. She glanced at Jirou pressing the elevator buttons yet none of the machines activated despite the relentless signals. Ayame clicked her tongue; they were truly trapped here.

"The elevator isn't working either," Jirou gave up.

"I can't believe the security system would switch into high alert mode, just because they found something explosive," Melissa analyzed.

"Iida-kun, let's go to where the party is being held," Midoriya suggested.

"Why?"

"Because All Might is at the party," Midoriya answered, shocking everyone with the answer.

"All Might?" Ochako gasped.

"My sister—too!" Ayame joined the group again, her eyes shining in determination.

"Oh, then we have nothing to worry about," Mineta let out a breath of relief.

 _No, something feels wrong_ , Ayame frowned to herself.

"We should still go to double check," Ayame said. It was not that she did not trust her sister or All Might but—they weren't invincible. Plus, there was a twisted feeling in her gut regarding this whole situation. Call it a sibling intuition but, Ayame felt restless for Yume's current position.

"Melissa-san, can you get us to the party somehow?" Midoriya asked.

"If we use the emergency stairs, I think we can get close to the party," Melissa directed their attention to the double doors behind Ayame.

"Please lead the way," Midoriya motioned.

Ayame strode forward, her mind running through scenarios of how to reach Yume and—what her current situation was. Yume would not be put at a disadvantage! Her sister was strong! As long as she has her Quirk, she can disable anyone within seconds!

A gentle tug on her arm caused her to stop. Lilac eyes met heterochromia ones of grey and turquoise as he steadily held her gaze, almost as if reading into her actions and decisions with an all too knowing inquiry.

"It'll be fine," Shoto said quietly, his hand slowly unfurling from Ayame's arm. Without her noticing, thin black trails were floating around her fingertips, as if begging to be used. Shoto eyed her Quirk subconsciously activating, returning to stare deep into her eyes. "Don't be hasty."

"I—"

Ayame moved to protest but stopped herself, looking away from him because she knew he was right. She just wanted to get to her sister fast—confirm her status—and watch Yume and All Might beat the villains because they always win.

"—know." Ayame gave him a reassuring smile. She had to be positive now. She cannot have her underclassmen be worried about her, too. "Let's go."

They ran down the hall and went up a few flights of stairs as Melissa led them. With their large group of people, they must keep quiet in case of alerting the guards around. It took a few more minutes before Melissa stopped at a hall, pointing past the door as they took a small break.

"There's a small balcony above the reception floor for you to see them. Just—be careful," Melissa warned.

"A few of us should go only. Jirou-san, can you follow us and check out the situation with your Quirk?" Midoriya took the charge.

"I'm going, too," Ayame took a step forward; she needed to see her sister.

Midoriya nodded his head, knowing that Ayame must be restless now that they knew her sister was in the party, and quietly opened the door. Jirou followed after Midoriya and Ayame gave the remaining students one glance in assurance.

"We'll be back soon."

Just as Melissa said, there was a rounded terrace above the reception floor. Below, Ayame and Midoriya can see several heroes bind by bright blue tape of some sort. The remaining civilians were forced on the ground, some shivering in fear while the guards stood above them with guns.

"There's All Might," Midoriya whispered, focusing on the trapped hero on stage.

"Yume-nee—!" Ayame's eyes widened at her sister lying down on the ground, the blue tape was wrapped around her eyes and restraining her form.

Jirou kneeled down and plugged in her earphone jack to listen in. Midoriya took out his phone and turned on the flashlight, beginning to signal All Might down below while Ayame quietly watched besides him. Not a moment later, the blonde hero looked up to the two figures, nearing gasping in surprise at the two students above.

"All Might's noticed us," Midoriya confirmed, "Jirou-san, can you do it?"

"Yeah," she nodded her head.

Midoriya turned his attention down below, waving his hand slightly to motion for the hero to talk. Ayame stayed on guard as she looked around, watching for any intruders that might notice them while waiting for Jirou to listen to what All Might would say.

"Th-this is bad, Midoriya, senpai," Jirou retracted her earphone jack, turning towards the two with a worried expression.

Ayame frowned, her eyes turning down below to look at her sister's trapped form again. _Hang in there, Yume-nee._

"Let's regroup for now," Ayame whispered and tilted her head back to where they came from.

Once the three of them returned, Iida asked for an update. Then, Jirou relayed the message All Might had told them. The villains have taken over the tower and the security system, resulting in their control over the drones and holding the civilians as hostage. As seen below, all the heroes have been taken hostage as well due to the security system. And, his final instructions;

 _Get away from here as soon as possible._

Ayame crossed her arms, fingers drumming over the smooth blazer yet her mind was far from the present. This was bad. They were asking them to run away again but—who would be the ones to help them if all of the heroes were trapped? Were they expected to listen to the villains demands?

"We have received All Might's message. I suggest that we follow the directions of U.A. teacher All Might and escape from this place," Iida spoke first after the moment of silence, all of the students snapping out of their stupor.

"I agree with Iida-san's opinion. We are still students. We cannot fight against villains without our hero licenses," Yaoyorozu added on, worry clearly laced in her voice as she looked at the other students to agree with her.

"Then what if we escape and tell heroes outside—" Kaminari began.

"I think it'll be hard to escape. This place is built with the same level of security as Tartarus where criminal villains are kept," Melissa informed.

"Then, all we can do is wait until help comes…" Kaminari's idea vanished.

Ayame's frown deepened, the drumming of her fingertips continued as Jirou reasoned with Kaminari her feelings with this situation. With the heroes like this, and them as aspiring heroes, it does not feel right to sit around and do nothing. Mineta was clearly opposed to the idea; if even All Might was captured, how can they help?

Then—what was their point in becoming heroes if they were only stopped by something like a 'provisional hero license'?

"We are trying to become heroes," Shoto said steadily, as if reading Ayame's mind and bringing her eyes to look at the boy beside her.

"Yes, but we are still not allowed to work as heroes—" Yaoyorozu began.

"—then are we supposed to sit here and do nothing?" Ayame grew frustrated and interrupted, turning her eyes to the direction of where her sister was trapped. "My sister is there—along with All Might—along with dozens of others—and this whole island at the mercy of those villains."

"I—want to save them," Midoriya followed up. "I want to go save them."

"You're planning on fighting the villains?! Didn't you learn anything from USJ, Midoriya?!" Mineta exclaimed.

"It's not like that, Mineta-kun! I've thought about it. We need a way we can save All Might and the others without fighting the villains," Midoriya said in determination.

"I understand how you feel, but is there anything that convenient…?" Kaminari expressed his doubts.

"Even if it's hard, I still want to try! I want to look for the best way possible and then go save everyone!" Midoriya said, spoken like a true hero.

"Deku-kun…" Ochako whispered, wanting to agree with the boy who always put others first before himself.

 _I want to, too_ , Ayame silently agreed, _to save Yume-nee, All Might, and everyone…_

"I-Island's security system is on the top floor of this tower. If the villains have taken control of the system, then the authentication locks and passwords should have been disabled. We should be able to restart the system. We just need to get away from the eyes of the villains and get to the top floor…" Melissa gave a briefing to them, a possible way for them to free the heroes from the bindings, and hope. "Then, maybe we can save everyone."

"What do you mean by 'get away from the eyes of the villains'? How?" Jirou asked.

"Currently, none of us have actually been harmed," Yaoyorozu added.

"I think the villains aren't used to working with the security system," Melissa deduced.

"Avoid fighting and get the system back to normal, huh?" Shoto simplified, "I see."

"We could do it, don't you think?" Kaminari's spirits were lifted.

"Yeah!"

"Definitely!"

"But the villains are waiting on the top floor…"

"There's no need to fight!" Midoriya rationalized, "If we get the system back to normal, then All Might and the hostages will be released. When that happens, the tables will be turned in an instant!"

 _That's a little too optimistic look_ , Ayame reasoned within her mind, _the heroes would still be too far from the top floor… If the villains reach us by the time we reset the system, the heroes would not be able to get to us on time._

"Deku-kun, let's do it!" Ochako agreed instantly. "I don't want to sit around doing nothing if there's something we can do. I think that's something that's more important whether we're heroes or not."

"Yeah, let's help the people who need help! Let's do what our natural instincts are telling us to do." Midoriya cheered instantly.

 _They don't seem to realize that yet_ , Ayame silently watched their hope renewed yet cannot bring herself to voice out the possible dangers waiting for them. With a resolved to herself, she pushed herself off the wall to step forward. _Then, I'll shield them if an attack happens. I won't let them get hurt!_

"I can't let you kids go alone," Ayame said with her usual bright smile, finally pulling herself together to look at the underclassmen looking at her happily.

"I'll go, too," Shoto followed up right after, causing their eyes to turn to him next.

"Me, too!" Jirou agreed.

One by one, everyone agreed to join in on their plan. Mineta looked the worst of them to agree, any little help they can get would put them at an advantage. Although Midoriya wanted Melissa to stay in hiding, Melissa reasoned she was the only one who knew how to reset the security system's setting—bringing everyone to the major part of their plan.

"We'll have to keep her safe till the top floor," Ayame nodded her head, "Like an escort mission!"

"How can you think about games like this?!"

Ayame grinned and said nothing much of it, if only to ease the tension a bit.

"I might just get in the way until we get to the top floor…but let me help protect everyone, too! Please!" Melissa begged.

Midoriya paused to allow his mind roll over the options. They truly do need Melissa in order for their plan to work.

"Don't worry, Melissa-chan!" Ayame turned to her with a smile, "You're the most important part of our plan!"

"Let's go and save everyone!" Midoriya announced.

He turned back around to enter through the door to brief All Might of his plans. Knowing that she would just be restless again if she saw Yume's trapped form again, Ayame decided not to follow Midoriya this time. Shoto approached her quietly, bringing curious lilac eyes to his figure as he leaned in just a bit closer while everyone else was distracted.

"You realized it, didn't you?" He whispered, vague and ambiguous as the question itself.

Ayame gave him a confused stare, tilting her head to the side and not giving an indication that she understood. He looked off to the side, not knowing if she completely understood his intentions but—based on the flash of apprehension and determination within her eyes earlier by the plan, Shoto knew she also realized the little flaw, too.

"Whatever happens up there," he started again, soft yet unwavering as his mismatched eyes returned to hers, "Don't do anything reckless."

If Shoto knew Ayame as he believed he does, which he does _very_ well, then he also knew she would do everything in her power to keep them safe. As seen in the attack at USJ, against Stain, Ayame would risk her life if only to buy them time to escape. It was a heroic feat and yet, also one that Shoto found to be utterly reckless and dangerous—where the thought of her sacrificing herself gave an unpleasant feeling within his chest.

Seeing the look of realization dawned on her face, Shoto knew he got his point across. Whether Ayame would follow through with it was another story. She followed her duty as an upperclassman too well; but Shoto had prided himself as one of the strongest in 1-A.

And, he wouldn't know what to do if he saw her get hurt again.

So he refused to let that happen.

"Shoto-kun," Ayame whispered, bringing his attention back to reality and into shining lilac eyes, "I'm going to keep you safe."

She knew he was only worried about her. Lately, it seemed as if that was all Shoto was doing. His constant consideration and care was something Ayame was not used to—yet she felt utterly flattered he would give her such attention. But, she was their upperclassman and protecting them—was what she had decided upon months ago.

He saw the stubbornness in her eyes and felt his lips tug into a frown. As expected, Ayame was doing what she believed right. Shoto knew she had their safety on her mind but—can't she see she needs to stay safe, too?

Shoto does not need the constant protection as she believed he does. He had told her before; he was capable of protecting her, too. Why was it now that he felt such irritation for her disregard of her own life? He understood her sister was one of the trapped hostages but that does not warrant her to act recklessly. He could see it in her actions now—that Ayame was focused on freeing the heroes and keeping them safe—even if at the cost of her own Quirk and safety.

"I don't need you to," the words came out sharper than he intended—colder than he realized—and he regretted it immediately when Ayame stepped back in surprise. Shoto moved to explain—what he meant was—

"Okay, let's hurry," Midoriya returned and everyone's attention was back on him.

Melissa and Midoriya began to run upstairs, the rest of the students following behind. With a bite on her lips, Ayame turned around to follow.

"C'mon," she said without turning to face him, leaving Shoto to stare at her back.

The sound of their footsteps echoed the stairs as they made their way upwards. No one spoke as they climbed their way up through flights and flights of stairs, trying to conserve their energy lest they run into any trouble. So far, it had just been the teenagers running upstairs yet even with their trained stamina, they couldn't help but be curious as they reach the 30th floor.

"This is the 30th floor. Melissa-san, what's the top floor?" Midoriya took a small pause to ask the civilian lagging behind them.

The blonde took a second to breathe, gripping the railing tightly as she briefly wondered what the heroes-in-training might think of her answer.

"The 200th floor."

"Seriously?!"

"We have to climb that high?!"

Ayame let out a small breath, glancing at the little heels on her feet and felt her soles burning already. With a frown at herself, she continued to take a step upstairs, contemplating her decisions. What if, she could summon something to fly them upstairs faster? But conjuring something that could hoist the dozen of them up would be challenging on her mind—and may even disable her at the top.

"We don't have a choice," she voiced out, giving a small look at Kaminari and Mineta to be brave.

"It's better than running into villains," Yaoyorozu added.

And really, they need to continue upwards if they want to reset the security system and thwart the villain's plan. The others were counting on them, whether they know it or not, they cannot stand idly by or give up not even half way up.

They continued running upwards, Ayame trying not to focus on the floor they pass in fear of dampening her own mood in this whole operation. The space between the students were stretching further at each floor—some even being a floor or two off from each other. Ayame only realized that when Ochako stopped to wait for the last runner.

"Melissa-san, do you want me to use my Quirk on you?"

"Thanks, but I'm fine. Save your powers for when we really need it," Melissa paused to rest her legs for a few seconds, bending down to massage her calves.

Ayame stopped as well, leaning over the railing to look down at the two girls. She took another second to catch her breath and felt sweat form on her heated forehead. She raised one hand up to wipe it but stopped at the last second—nearly forgetting the blazer she had worn.

 _No wonder I'm so hot_ , Ayame realized, and turned to find Shoto—only to nearly freeze at the sight of him waiting for her a few steps up. Why was he still here—and not going ahead?

She shook those thoughts away and slipped out of the blazer, for once thankful for the cool air to run down her bare back. At least, now that the jacket was off, Ayame felt immensely cooler than before.

"Uh—" Once she realized she had _most likely_ sweat inside the material, her arm dangled in midair from returning the blazer back to him. "On second thought, I'll return this back to you after washed."

Shoto quietly studied her, realizing her intentions within seconds and her hesitation to return the blazer. Not caring for much, he took the two steps down to her, lingering at one step above and took the jacket from her hand. Then, without a word, he bent down to reached around Ayame's waist, nearly feeling her body heat radiate onto him—as he returned his attention back to the front and tied the two sleeves together.

"You still need this more than I do," he said lowly.

Ayame looked down; the white blazer had covered the slight parting of her thigh completely. Her eyes widened by his gesture and when she looked up at his towering form, his last words from before crossed her mind. Fighting back any blush, disappointment, confusion, and other emotions from her face, Ayame walked around him and continued to run up after a hurried 'thanks'.

Ochako and Melissa had caught up with the still frozen half-and-half boy, confusion clear on their faces as Shoto quickly snapped out of his stupor. He continued to run upwards, dispelling any possible thoughts from mind now regarding his upperclassman.

The group had stopped once more when they reached the 70th floor. The giant, metal door had closed down the whole staircase completely, acting as a wall to prevent any further intrusion.

"The shutter…!" Iida's voice traveled to the remaining students catching up, all of them staring at the metal in displeasure.

"What should we do? Break it?" Shoto suggested.

"If we do that, then the security system will react, and the villains will notice us," Melissa informed.

"Then can't we just go from here?" Mineta's tired voice reached them but they realized too late when he already pulled the lever to another door, the beeping sound alerted them—and the security system of the intruders.

"Crap—let's go!" Ayame yelled and quickly, all of them dashed through the door without a choice.

"Is there any other way to go up?" Shoto asked. Now that their location had been notified, the villains would not just leave them at that.

"There's another emergency staircase like this on the opposite side," Melissa panted beside them.

"Hurry!"

Without warning, the steel walls began to close behind and in front of them. They stopped, gasping at how the shutters from the front and back were closing in on them and attempting to trap them within. Iida looked forward and took notice of a door right before the shutter before them, pointing to it quickly.

"Todoroki-kun!"

"Right!"

Ice shot out beneath his feet to prevent the last shutter from closing. Using his Quirk, Iida burst forward through the gap and kicked the door open, the explosion echoing through the hall.

"Let's cross inside here!" His voice called out in success from the other side and wasting no more time, the rest of the students jumped through the gap of the shutter.

They entered through the door; surprise flitted across their faces at the sight of greenery and trees in a makeshift indoor park. Melissa had explained it to be a plant factory and how Quirks influence the plants within. Throughout the shrubbery and machines within, Jirou pointed towards the steel elevator right in the middle.

"The elevator's coming up," Yaoyorozu realized.

"Are the villains following us…?" Mineta voiced out all of their concerns.

"Let's hide and let them pass us," Midoriya quickly advised.

"There," Ayame went to the nearest shrubbery platform and quickly, the rest followed.

They waited with weakened breath, controlling the noises they may make while catching up on much needed rest. However, the tension surrounded them in a thin veil at their exposed position from behind, waiting for the elevator to open.

"I wonder if we can use that elevator to get to the top floor?" Kaminari whispered on the other side.

"No, only authorized people can operate the elevators," Melissa informed again, "And it's made as sturdy as a bomb shelter, so we can't destroy it."

"Come on, let us use the conveniences of modern civilization!" Mineta shook.

For once, Ayame did agree with him. Everything seemed to be working against them now; their goal of reaching the top was dwindling. _If worst comes to worst…I'll stall them here_ , Ayame gave a sidelong glance to the students beside her, _hopefully…it won't come down to that_.

The elevator rang, signaling that it had stopped at their floor. Everyone tensed once more as the door opened to reveal two villains wearing matching black vests, strolling out to scan the area. She clenched her fists tighter, trying to resist the trembling when everyone else was nervous as it was.

Something light rested over her hand, feather light coolness traced over her knuckles and Ayame spared that moment to stare at Shoto in wonder. He looked over at the same time and although his face was his usual calm, Ayame can detect the worry and tension within his eyes, as if urging her to remain calm. She said nothing and returned her gaze back to the two villains leaving the elevator, trying to ignore his actions because she could still remember his previous words.

"I found you, you damn kids!"

The villain's voice brought terror to their hearts, all wondering the same thing as they stayed frozen behind the bush. Ayame's hands clenched even more but felt her feet shift, ready to jump to their defense and draw the villain's attention away if necessary. But the hold on her hand tightened and Ayame did not need to turn to know Shoto knew exactly what she was thinking.

 _Damn it!_

"Huh? What did you say, you bastard?"

A new voice filled the area instead, surprising the students hiding behind the bushes. Everyone turned to the direction of the familiar voice, eyes widening at the sight of the ash blonde and redhead.

 _Kacchan?! Eijiro-kun?!_

"What are you doing here?" The villain continued to ask.

"That's what _I_ want to know—" but Bakugo was unperturbed, showing no respect for the unknown man.

"Leave this to me, okay?!" Kirishima immediately acted as the mediator. "Um, we got lost… Where should we go for the reception?"

Ayame could feel her anxiety spike for Kirishima's innocent question. How did they get lost 80th floor from the reception room?! Don't they know the situation now?! Should they be alerted by the security system's broadcast earlier?!

"I can see through you! Don't lie to me!" The tall villain, Nobu's hand extended into a webbed flaw, pulling it back and sending an unknown shockwave towards the duo's direction.

"His Quirk—!"

"Kirishima!"

"Damn it, dodge!"

Ayame hastily stood up with Midoriya, running out in their direction right as a giant ice pillar shot out behind her. Luckily Shoto was faster in reacting to dispel the opponent's Quirk but now, they lost the element of surprise.

"We'll stall for time here," Shoto quickly decided and kneeled down, ice forming beneath his hands and a trail headed towards the group. "Look for a way to get to the top!"

They were going to be separated—she knew that—but currently, Ayame was in between Shoto and Bakugo so the ice could not reach her. She looked between the group of students then back to the half-and-half boy, her mind torn between going with them—or staying with him.

"Ayame," Shoto called out to her, bringing panicked lilac eyes to his unwavering form. He knew what she was conflicted about—so he decided to make the decision for her. "Go with them."

The ice beneath Midoriya and the others were already flying up but—Ayame stayed frozen while watching him. He—wanted her to—what?!

"No—! I won't leave you!" And just like that, she had voiced out her wish—surprising herself with how strongly she felt about it. But currently, she cannot dwell on her own emotions when worry overpowered a majority of it.

" _I don't need you to."_

Yet, she was reminded of Shoto's own abilities, knowing that he was stronger without her and did not need her constant coddling. Ayame abruptly froze from the reminder yet cannot tear her eyes away from him.

"You have to," his tone left no room for argument, mismatched eyes boring into startled lilac eyes.

It had been awkward, he knew, he had not meant for his previous wording to sound so harsh—but he barely have time to explain it now. Only, Shoto could urge her upwards with a gentle pat on her back, his fingers accidentally lingered by her hair for the briefest of seconds.

"Trust me, Ayame," he continued in a softer tone, "You don't have to do this alone. I'll be right behind you after I clean this up."

Ayame's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion yet were unable to decipher his words due to the urgency of the situation. With a reluctant sigh, she nodded her head, black smoke beginning to dance around her form as she took one step forward.

"You have to keep your word," she turned to the two confused boys then, "Eijiro-kun, Kacchan, meet up with us later!"

With that, a medium size tengu appeared below her feet and flew above to chase the students. Even high above, Ayame saw the villains break through the ice wall below and the three of them began to engage in combat with the two villains.

 _It's fine, it's fine, it's fine_ , Ayame bit her lip and turned around, _I trust them._

"Senpai!" Midoriya greeted in astonishment once Ayame landed next to them, running down the railing above the plant factory.

"Are they—going to be alright?" Yaoyorozu asked with a glance behind them.

"Un, they will be," Ayame said with a resolute voice, "Let's keep going!"

"The shutters blocked still!" Kaminari pointed out the current dilemma, causing the group to still in their sprint.

"Shoto-kun and the others are stalling for time now. We can't waste it here," Ayame clicked her tongue, glaring at the steel doors for blocking their path.

"Then, let's break through them. The villains already know our location," Midoriya suggested first.

Iida broke through the door, smoke and rubble clouding their vision for a few seconds before they realized—they were still trapped on both sides.

"Hey, what should we do? We're like mice caught in a bag!" Mineta cried out.

They began to look around the area, feeling trapped by Mineta's comment with nowhere to go. Midoriya noticed a latch on the ceiling, turning towards the blonde and pointed at the top.

"Melissa-san, do you see something that looks like a door on the ceiling?"

At that, everyone turned towards the direction Midoriya had pointed. True to his words, there was a small vent above to the corner.

"The maintenance room for the sunlight system!"

"Wouldn't that have an emergency ladder?" Iida asked hopefully.

"It's true that there's a manual one, but we can only access it from the inside."

Their plan was nearly ruined until Yaoyorozu created a small explosive, sending it flying upwards and opened the latch.

"If you go outside through the space in the vent, you can use the outside wall to get to the top floor!"

Their spirits brightened up with the new plan yet the group quietly discussed amongst themselves at exactly _who_ could. It was a cramped space and there was the risk of going _outside_. But, as they ran the plan through their mind, there was only one person who could.

Mineta froze and began to argue yet with a little bit of coaxing from Kaminari, Ochako, and Jirou, he finally relented. Ayame let out a small sigh and motioned Mineta towards her, black tendrils drifting from her arm again as she created a bird for his mount.

"Hop on. It'll take you up top."

"I'd feel safer if you come along, senpai—"

"Hurry along, Mineta," Ayame smiled politely, "Before I lose my concentration and the summon disappears."

Without another word, the short boy hopped onto the bird and clung to it with dear life. It'll take more than a few words for Ayame to lose her focus but there was no time for playing now. Part of her was still worried for Shoto, Bakugo, and Kirishima. Based on the explosions she kept hearing below, they may be having difficulties with the villains.

It felt painfully long before Mineta returned, lowering the ladder for the rest of them to climb up. One by one they climbed up; Ayame lagging behind to make sure no one else was following them. With one last look towards the battling students direction, she left.

* * *

As they reached the 100th floor, the shutters were no longer blocking their way. Although they continued to run above, Ayame could not help the nervous twist in her gut in apprehension. The villains must know they were coming so why were they allowing them to pass? Was there a trap waiting for them? Another villain? It was too difficult to tell.

When they reached 130th floor, the students realized why they were allowed to go by. Dozens and dozens of small robots of the security system piled in from the vents, flashing red in warning. Without any hesitation, Ayame stepped in front of the students with smoke drifting from her body, a long serpent body appearing to hover in front of her while the tail wrapped around her body.

"You guys need to go ahead first! I can stop them here," Ayame gave them a glance.

"Alone?!" Mineta gasped.

"We can assist!" Yaoyorozu added.

"No! Save your energy for up there. I will catch up soon," Ayame turned her attention to the approaching robots, "Besides, they're just machines. What can they do?"

Right as she said that, her serpent dashed forward, ramming its ghostly body at the first few robots and knocking them off the bridge and down the tower. At the sight of Ayame handling the robots well, Midoriya pointed to the door beyond their right.

"We can't waste time to stall here. Senpai! Follow us soon!" Midoriya instructed and began to run off.

The red robots began to head towards the group's direction but Ayame blocked them off. With the serpent distracting them in the back, Ayame conjured another ookami to mount and bite off the closest ones. Once the last of the students escaped through the door, she let out a small sigh of relief before turning back towards the robots.

"Persistent little buggers," she clicked her tongue. Knocking them into the ground would not simply do; their tough exterior metal was hard to break through and barely scratched up. "I'll just knock you off this floor!"

Unlike other floors, this one had four bridges connecting to a center tower. They were also elevated from the ground and that was how Ayame was able to buy the students some time earlier. However, some robots were able to stand up even from the bottom and were moving shakily around.

"Hyah!"

Ayame jumped down from the ookami and punched a robot with her serpent coiled hand. The robot flew back onto the other side of the tower while Ayame stumbled behind her. The serpent disappeared from her hand but she raised it up shakily to her head, sensing the familiar sensation of a throbbing headache in her temple.

 _Okay, okay, three is the limit. Just don't overdo it—I can handle that._

However, in her distraction, she missed the thin metal wires shooting out of the robots from the bottom. Ayame realized too late when she felt the wires wrapped around her middle, tugging off the railing and through the air. She gasped as her hands were bound to her side, looking down at the direction of the robot—and closed her eyes to concentrate.

The two summons disappeared, lingering smoke reverted back to her body to combine into something else. The wires pulsated and bulged around her frame as the creature forced itself outward—a form stabilizing into the giant dragon and cushioned her fall. As the wires retreated back, Ayame saw the white fabric following it—her lilac eyes widened at the miss of warmth.

"Shoto-kun's jacket!"

Her hand grasped the fabric and tugged, bringing the jacket back to her body yet she gasped at all the scratches and loose threads on the material. Although she knew there were more pressing matters at hand than some clothing, she couldn't help but feel guilty—this was expensive!

"I can't afford to pay him back!" Ayame shouted at the robots.

The robots only hummed at her and—multiple wires shot out towards her form again. Ayame's eyes widen again and hastily slipped the jacket on again, rearing the dragon up to block the wires and moved to knock the robots off the bridge. The flight ruffled her long hair behind, skirt fluttering around her knees as she hopped off the dragon and back to the bridge. There were only less than five robots on the same foot as her. As the dragon fended off the ones trying to climb back on, Ayame faced the remaining five.

"Alright, time to finish this and head up!"

Thin wires shot out again but Ayame was ready, running forward and dodging left and right to avoid the obstacles. While the main dragon took most of her concentration, she focused on a small serpent to have it dashed forward to slither around one robot and tossing it to another. As she was fighting off another robot, Ayame did not see the last one shoot its wires at her—only realizing too late when it was already too close for her to dodge.

 _Crap!_

The bridge rumbled and broke apart; Ayame stunned as she lost her footing and began to slip down. Questions and confusion plagued her mind and in her panic, she did not notice a hand went to grasp her wrist, preventing her from falling and—pulling her up. Lilac eyes widen at the sight of a smiling boy, his icy hair and white suit meeting her gaze as Yuu used the little gems formed on the bridge to climb up. As she looked beyond him, Ayame saw Noeru standing by the door of the remaining bridge, crystal hair reflecting the light within.

"Yuu?! Takarada?!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

I'm trying to rush through the fight scenes and explanations since it's nearing the end and the movie was more of Midoriya's development. But, at least it's more fluff and interactions with our clueless duo ahah

Reviews are much loved! Ayame is partnering up with the princes! How will her reunion with Shoto turn out?


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